SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
subversive
adjective
Seeking or tending to undermine an established system or authority.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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Undermining an established order
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSubversive targets an established system or authority. Disruptive may merely interrupt an activity, and oppositional need not seek to overturn the system.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See subversive in use
The play's subversive humor questioned the town's rigid traditions.
A subversive pamphlet challenges the system's central principle that only the regent may decide which public claims can be questioned.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license