Subversive

//səbˈvɝsɪv// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A radical supporter of political or social revolution.
  2. 2
    a radical supporter of political or social revolution wordnet
  3. 3
    One who subverts, a saboteur, provocateur, or propagandist.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Intending to subvert, overturn, undermine or debase.

    "subversive influence"

Adjective
  1. 1
    in opposition to a civil authority or government wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
revolutionistinsurgentrevolutionaryrevolutionistsubverteragitator

Example

More examples

"George Eliot is subtly subversive: there are have-nots on every fringe, and her women collaborate in exquisitely detailed mutual oppression."

Etymology

See subvert and -ive.

Related phrases

subversive basics

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.