subvert

[ suhb-vurt ]

/ səbˈvɜrt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: subvert / subverted / subverting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to overthrow (something established or existing).

to cause the downfall, ruin, or destruction of.

to undermine the principles of; corrupt.

OTHER WORDS FOR subvert

1 upset, disrupt, undermine, overturn, sabotage.

See synonyms for subvert on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of subvert

1325–75; Middle English subverten<Latin subvertere to overthrow, equivalent to sub-sub- + vertere to turn

OTHER WORDS FROM subvert

sub·vert·er, nounun·sub·vert·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subvert in a sentence

Davies’s account of this sobering episode in CRISPR’s short and turbulent history reminds us of the inherent dangers of genome editing and of the ease with which technologies may be subverted for totalitarian ends.
With CRISPR, humans can create their own evolutionary future|Adrian Woolfson|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Mire choreographed most of the scenes in “Voyeur,” subverting 19th-century dance through theories of embodiment and objectification.
Looking from the outside in, ‘Voyeur’ reimagines the life of Toulouse-Lautrec|Jose Solís|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Giving state and local governments veto power over the LWCF is an attempt to subvert, not facilitate, the public’s voice.
DOI Harms Environmental Protections Until the End|Wes Siler|November 17, 2020|Outside Online
The parks are so often a perfect excuse to subvert our ordinary busyness, beckoning us to do nothing other than slow down and watch the immense beauty of the light fading.
I Saw an Epic Sunset at Badlands National Park|Emily Pennington|November 3, 2020|Outside Online

It is a discrete entity, and its relationship to the state can be much richer and more complex than merely attempting to render the state into the terms of the aesthetic, to explain or to subvert or to render glorious through propaganda.
Why art matters at the end of the world|Constance Grady|September 25, 2020|Vox
You could also say that a world attuned to offense is less keen on being subverted than it was when Dylan was starting out.
Dylan’s Candor Gets Misconstrued as Hate Speech in France|Ian Bell|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But in one crucial way she subverted expectations: she worked.
Understanding Diana Vreeland, ‘Empress of Fashion’|Robin Givhan|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
True suspense and deft plotting are subverted in the name of needlessly convoluted conspiracies.
‘The Killing’: How AMC’s Adaptation of ‘Forbrydelsen’ Went Wrong|Jace Lacob|May 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The condemnation of the woman was subverted by the wind, so to speak, of passing events.
The Judicial Murder of Mary E. Surratt|David Miller DeWitt
If the balance of power is subverted on Continental Europe, how is the independence of this country to be maintained?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No. 393, July 1848|Various
Under the reign of those two kings happened the mortal blow, which subverted the very foundation of their constitution.
Reflections on the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Republicks|Edward Wortley Montagu
Not in the sense that our individuality shall be subverted or radically changed.
The Vitality of Mormonism--Brief Essays|James E. Talmage
Two positions, that were favourite ones with him, were quickly subverted.
Ormond, Volume II (of 3)|Charles Brockden Brown

British Dictionary definitions for subvert

subvert

/ (səbˈvɜːt) /

verb (tr)

to bring about the complete downfall or ruin of (something existing or established by a system of law, etc)

to undermine the moral principles of (a person, etc); corrupt

Derived forms of subvert

subverter, noun

Word Origin for subvert

C14: from Latin subvertere to overturn, from sub- from below + vertere to turn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

subvert

OTHER WORDS FOR subvert

Origin of subvert

OTHER WORDS FROM subvert

Words related to subvert

How to use subvert in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subvert

Derived forms of subvert

Word Origin for subvert