as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
by insisting that she pay me for helping her, she subverted my noble desire to do a good deed without reward
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Recent Examples of subvert
The plot subverts expectations from the off, and a combination of sharp writing and expert delivery from the all-star cast resulted in a hilarious, but also touching tale of redemption.
—
Grace Dean, Space.com, 3 July 2025
What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn — amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics, and explosive action- gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 June 2025
The final scene subverted what was previously known about Dave, a man established to be a passionate investigator and aspiring writer trapped in a complicated relationship.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 28 June 2025
Erotic surrender alone will not subvert or even really trouble the monarchy, which requires its own elaborately binding outfits and public displays of intimacy.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Grace Dean, Space.com, 3 July 2025
What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn — amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics, and explosive action- gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 June 2025
The final scene subverted what was previously known about Dave, a man established to be a passionate investigator and aspiring writer trapped in a complicated relationship.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 28 June 2025
Erotic surrender alone will not subvert or even really trouble the monarchy, which requires its own elaborately binding outfits and public displays of intimacy.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
Verb
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Metal can tarnish or degrade when exposed to humidity, and many materials degrade when exposed to cardboard that isn't acid-free.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 July 2025
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In the last year, Israel has managed to significantly degrade the capabilities of its adversaries, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and its June conflict with Iran – with the help of the U.S. – was widely seen as having dealt a significant blow to Tehran’s abilities to harm the Jewish state.—
Natasha Turak,
CNBC,
18 July 2025
Verb
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This weakens their ability to educate, create, and grow.—
Miguel Cardona,
Time,
21 July 2025
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This could help verify recent findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) that suggest this strange force is actually weakening over time.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
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When politicians—rather than professionals—can select which types of research can be funded and how that money can be spent based on their own preferences, the entire pursuit of knowledge is corrupted.—
Brian Sandberg,
Time,
16 July 2025
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Any profession can corrupt its practitioners — and arts critics are no exception.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 July 2025
Verb
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In return, he was allowed to effectively destroy a nature site of great conservation value.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
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When the Silver Surfer arrives in New York to destroy the final teleportation tower, Johnny plays those traumatic recordings over speakers in Earth-828's version of Times Square, hoping to appeal to her empathy.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Over 24 cycles, the show humiliated hundreds of young, naïve women (and, briefly, men) in the name of entertainment.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
9 July 2025
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Soldatov said that along this path was the 2008 war in Georgia, which showed the Russian army would not be humiliated anymore.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Among many methods deployed, the most common was to debase the circulating coins and inflate the money supply.—
Dave Birnbaum,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
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Read More: The Battle for Our Memory Is the Battle for Our Country But debasing our history through censorship and ideological cherry-picking insults the memory of the nine saints who were murdered at Mother Emanuel, desecrating its sacred space all over again.—
Kevin Sack,
Time,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The health secretary said vegetable oils, like canola and soybean, are poisoning Americans and driving the obesity epidemic.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
8 July 2025
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After a week of deliberation, the jury found Erin Patterson lured her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, to lunch at her home and poisoned them with individual servings of Beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Such critics are concerned that our approach might dilute the sense of urgency necessary and undermine public messaging.—
Francesco Rubino,
Time,
9 July 2025
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Fill the glass with ice, and repeat with the other glass. 3: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, stir together the Earl Grey simple syrup, lime juice and smoked paprika until thoroughly chilled and diluted, about 15 seconds.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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