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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subvert
Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith’s screenplay is littered with exaggerated stereotypes just waiting to be boisterously subverted.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 June 2026
One day after Zendaya subverted her usual high-fashion fare by wearing a $35 T-shirt from eBay, the 29-year-old actress dipped into a different type of archive on June 25.
—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
25 June 2026
These movies are about shocking and surprising the audience by setting up an expectation and then subverting that expectation.
—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Director Wes Craven executes a masterclass in tension, shock, and subverting expectations.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 June 2026
One day after Zendaya subverted her usual high-fashion fare by wearing a $35 T-shirt from eBay, the 29-year-old actress dipped into a different type of archive on June 25.
—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
25 June 2026
These movies are about shocking and surprising the audience by setting up an expectation and then subverting that expectation.
—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Director Wes Craven executes a masterclass in tension, shock, and subverting expectations.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
Verb
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When temperatures rise, heat can quietly degrade pantry staples, making refrigeration essential to preserve quality and flavor.
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If leaders are not present and actively developing people, the system degrades—quietly at first, then all at once.
Verb
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Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s consumer spending slowdown persisted in June, with growth during one of the country’s largest online shopping festivals weakening sharply from a year earlier.
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All three of those protagonists have been weakened in their roles by what has gone on.
Verb
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Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
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Lander has argued Goldman, the multimillionaire heir to the Levi jeans fortune, embodies establishment, corporate interests that corrupt the Democratic Party.
Verb
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The most common type of dementia, which destroys memory and cognitive function, was responsible for 116,022 deaths in 2024, NCHS data shows.
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That book is a revenge fantasy about the former art school professor who seduced her, discarded her and destroyed her confidence as a painter.
Verb
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Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
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Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
Verb
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In spite of their original values of humanitarianism and neutrality, these organizations have been morally debased from within, using the language of human rights and international justice yet deploying it on behalf of autocracies and against the liberal democracies that created them.
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In order to emerge victorious in his quest to bring the World Cup to Mexico, De la Torre debases himself and backstabs shamelessly.
Verb
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The special bond between Supergirl and her scruffy animal sidekick becomes a key plot point in Kara’s new solo movie, where Krypto is poisoned by space outlaw Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
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Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
Verb
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In other words, expanding loyalty beyond hotels does not have to dilute the hotel business.
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Han credits the international team with sharpening his instincts rather than diluting them.
Cite this Entry
“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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