subversion

noun

Synonyms of subversion
1
: the act of subverting : the state of being subverted
especially : a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from within
2
obsolete : a cause of overthrow or destruction
subversively adverb
subversiveness noun

Did you know?

Subversion is literally the "turning over" of something. In the 1950s and '60s, many people worried about communist subversion of the U.S. government, though they often saw subversive activities where none existed. Nondemocratic governments often claim that anyone who disagrees with them or joins a demonstration is a subversive. But subversion isn't always quite so serious a matter; when words like weekend, sandwich, job, *and *camping started being used by the French, for example, some of them began claiming that America was subverting their language.

Examples of subversion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Hong Kong — Two key organizers behind what used to be the only large-scale public commemoration for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre on Chinese soil have been found guilty of inciting subversion by a court in Hong Kong. Chris Lau, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 By prioritizing the female characters’ perspective, Bound becomes a stylish subversion of film noir conventions, allowing the women at the center to exploit the paranoid masculine posturing of the crime-movie world for personal gain. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in September 2021 with inciting subversion and face a maximum jail term of 10 years if convicted. ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 Although the movie eventually loses steam (a side effect of its subversions of the genre, while using Ilyas’s awkward outsidership as an aesthetic North Star), Khan traces the care with which his characters try to chart invisible social lines. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for subversion

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin subversion-, subversio, from Latin subvertere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of subversion was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subversion. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

subversion

noun
: the act of overthrowing : the state of being overthrown
especially : an attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly within the country involved
subversive adjective or noun
subversively adverb

Legal Definition

subversion

noun
: a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working from within
also : the crime of committing acts in furtherance of such an attempt
subversively adverb
subversiveness noun

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