as in corrupted
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 subverted
In Camps’ hands, a cable or crewneck is never simply just that — there’s a playfulness to her draping and cutouts, subverted by the juxtaposition of gossamer-like fine gauge underpinnings with cozier, enveloping sweaters.
—
Ari Stark, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
Tariffs, conquests; all are subverted to this man’s ego.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Start watching this Adult Swim original for the subverted Back to the Future vibes, but don't expect McDonald's to bring back their Szechuan sauce anytime soon.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
By delegitimizing the Islamic Republic as an occupying force—one that plunders national wealth to subsidize regional proxies—the opposition has effectively subverted the regime’s nationalist rhetoric.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
At the 2025 Emmys in September, the actress subverted the event's formal dress code, opting for straight-leg blue jeans and a white T-shirt, adding a pair of black flats, a belt and sunglasses.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
Yet, as second wave feminism took root in the 1960s, many women seized on broom-riding witches as heroes who subverted ideas of domesticity.
—Time, 21 Nov. 2025
However, it’s massively subverted expectation - and that’s an understatement.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Details on how the administration has subverted health spending have received little attention because many changes have been made quietly -- and people who rely on federal funds fear retribution.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Ari Stark, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
Tariffs, conquests; all are subverted to this man’s ego.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Start watching this Adult Swim original for the subverted Back to the Future vibes, but don't expect McDonald's to bring back their Szechuan sauce anytime soon.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
By delegitimizing the Islamic Republic as an occupying force—one that plunders national wealth to subsidize regional proxies—the opposition has effectively subverted the regime’s nationalist rhetoric.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
At the 2025 Emmys in September, the actress subverted the event's formal dress code, opting for straight-leg blue jeans and a white T-shirt, adding a pair of black flats, a belt and sunglasses.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
Yet, as second wave feminism took root in the 1960s, many women seized on broom-riding witches as heroes who subverted ideas of domesticity.
—Time, 21 Nov. 2025
However, it’s massively subverted expectation - and that’s an understatement.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Details on how the administration has subverted health spending have received little attention because many changes have been made quietly -- and people who rely on federal funds fear retribution.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverted
Verb
-
American culture will not be mocked or corrupted without consequence.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Feb. 2026
-
When the media are corrupted and play with the truth regarding political and ideological agendas, democracy dies.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Infrastructure in Venezuela is severely degraded, and any meaningful revival would likely require more than $100 billion in investment over a decade.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The system degraded exactly as predicted.—
Staff report,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bass, who was politically weakened by her performance during the fire and its aftermath, was already facing more than two dozen challengers looking to oust her in the June 2 primary — the vast majority little known to the public and not expected to pose any threat.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
New York — US stocks dropped Thursday, continuing a recent patch of volatility, as Wall Street grappled with persistent nerves about artificial intelligence and economic data showed the labor market weakened over the past two months.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Constitution has been perverted in ways by administrations on both sides of the aisle to facilitate military action.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Organized sports can easily be perverted.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Harald’s physical health has deteriorated in recent years, requiring Haakon to act as regent on occasion.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The relationship deteriorated further after Horvath and her colleagues voted to shift hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county partnership, and into a new county agency on homelessness.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Days after the segment was recorded, Schmitz shot Amedure to death, then confessed to the murder, saying he'd been humiliated on national TV.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
-
During the flight, she’s thoroughly humiliated when someone finds her audition tape for Survivor and displays it on his laptop for all to enjoy.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Last year, though, the Anthropic team inadvertently poisoned its own well by allowing the Jones Foods experiment, in which Claude faked its way through retraining, into the data set.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Spanish was the primary language for more than 60% of people poisoned, according to the health department.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The storm that destroyed the home of Shaun and Karen Powers hit three months after the phone call that put an end to Coppermark’s strategy of flooding the insurance department with complaints.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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The Talmud teaches that Jerusalem was destroyed not only because of hatred, but because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred fueled by moral absolutism.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subverted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverted. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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