as in rebel
someone who tries to overthrow or undermine a governing power
They were outted as subversives and exiled from the country.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in violent
seeking to overthrow or undermine a governing power
A subversive organization determined to unseat a leader who they believed operated outside the law.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
-
In confrontations with both India and Iran, Pakistan has consistently denied offering safe haven to transnational rebels at a time when the country was struggling to stem a deadly wave of attacks by insurgents against its own soldiers and civilians.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025 -
Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.—
Aijaz Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Related: Trump administration captured 'very violent' top street gang leader.—
Krystal Nurse,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Under the plan, the department will also combine two bureaus focused on arms control and eliminate units focused on countering violent extremism from the department’s counterterrorism bureau.—
Shannon K. Kingston,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the insurgents attacking the American soldiers are truly faceless.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
-
The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
America has been going through revolutionary changes ever since its birth and the promise of equality for all, which wasn't fulfilled until years later, Buffett said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 May 2025
-
This irrational market behavior stems partly from the cult of personality surrounding Musk and partly from speculators betting on his promises of revolutionary artificial intelligence and robotics breakthroughs.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
Italy's special police unit Digos is leading an investigation looking into the possibility that anarchists set fire to the cars on the eastern outskirts of the Italian capital, a security source said.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Instead of undermining the state by killing off plutocrats and presidents, anarchists ended up strengthening it.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Subversive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversive. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share