to subvert
46
8.1
- verb
- /səbˈvɜrt/
- So to take power for himself and to subvert the the order of things.
- subvert the notion
- subvert the intent
- subvert the hegemonic order
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Watch on YouTubeHow can this autoimmune response be subverted by a cancer cell?
- How can this autoimmune response be subverted by a cancer cell?
- But how many people are successfully subverting these tests?
- Six YA novels that subvert the mean girl trope.
- It's got some great drama, but it also subverts almost every trope of a sitcom.
- Yeah, because he has subverted the rule of law of the Florida State Constitution.
- And you go, right, What you are now doing is you're subverting democracy because people have elected you.
- And I think that Darwin's ideas undo many of the biggest problems in philosophy, or at least subvert them and turn them into better problems.
- So there's this teenage pubertal period of fighting against it, subverting things, turning on the head, questioning, being a pain.
- And E Kirch appreciated that when whenever liberals turned to the use of the state, they were subverting genuine liberalism.
- You're subverting law by canceling inspectors general and that is illegal.
- And recently this is one of the more hopeful signs in our culture that storyline is being subverted now.
Examples
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Will they take power democratically only to subvert the very process that brought them victory?
Academic text (2008) -
As a protest against the ratification of this treaty, which can only subvert the Republic, I and my deputies are going to leave this house.
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This was an organized effort to subvert a free and fair election.
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My vision is to subvert the audience expectations.
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I feel like we should give these tools to the artists so they can use them to subvert those influences.
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We need to make clear that we won't stand by as they subvert democracy right before our eyes.
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I'm talking, for a start, about lobbyists, who are people paid to subvert the will of the people.
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The Knights of the Golden Circle was a Southern extremist group, operating in the north to subvert Union forces.
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Russia, they claimed, had been exploited and in some ways subverted by the non-Russian republics.
Academic text (1992) -
The activists devised a plan to subvert the oppressive regime by spreading awareness among the citizens.
Synonyms
304
6.8
Weaken a person or system slowly, often in secret, so it does not work well
213
2.8
To make people and things less strong or effective
123
5.1
To remove a leader or government from power, often by force
78
4.6
To make a leader or government lose power
19
6.2
Remove someone from a position of power, often in politics
7
5.6
Make attempts to reach a goal weaker or less effective
4
6.3
Remove a leader or government from power, often by force
Antonyms
How Strong
∞
1.0
123
5.1
87
4.1
164
7.1
46
8.1
304
6.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
subvert = sub + vert
Although historically analyzable as sub- + vert ('turn'), 'vert' is a Latin combining form not a standalone English word, so an average B1 learner cannot derive the meaning from the components.
Etymology
The word subvert comes from sub- 'under' and vert 'to turn', the same root you see in convert and invert. So it means to 'turn' something from below, to secretly weaken or destroy a system or authority.