subverting

verb

present participle of subvert
as in corrupting
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subverting Several works confront the digital systems shaping contemporary life, subverting algorithms and finding room for human error and agency. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 According to tax authorities, by inappropriately avoiding gains, investors are subverting the intention of the rules. — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 There’s a guilty pleasure in subverting a cheesy tourist tee. — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026 Stalter made a statement with her look at the 2025 Emmys, too, subverting the event’s formal dress code. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 Ouweleen, who took over the top job following the retirement of longtime leader Mike Lazzo in 2022, stressed that the network retains its commitment to subverting expectations even as formats change. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026 By subverting Musk’s favorite tropes of video gaming and simulations, the film conveys the dangers of becoming like the Game Master in Ready Player One. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 The film’s procedural aspect ticks along just fine, holding the attention without subverting expectations, and carried by actors who, much like the detectives in this case, are ultra-capable professionals with no inclination to go rogue on us. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 The show also pokes fun at the late 1990s and early 2000s liberal cultural consensus that was upheld in other popular culture of the time while also both replicating and subverting stereotypes of suburban Southern white Americans. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverting
  1. corrupting
  2. degrading
  3. weakening
  4. perverting
  5. destroying
  6. diluting
  7. deteriorating
  8. debauching
Verb
  • Documentarian Alex Gibney is no stranger to dissections of corrupting power — from his feature dives into Enron, Elizabeth Holmes and Scientology.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Delphi sits above a geologic vent, an X from which noxious gases escaped the earth, corrupting the minds of women who inhaled and pronounced their prophecies.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • Online critics characterized the Polymarket contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors would associate themselves with the company.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Oliver got the show started by kicking his heels together and pointing out that stand-up comedy and a venue like Carnegie Hall are opposing ovals in a Venn diagram, with stand-up degrading such a magnificent space.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • OpenAI disclosed a pair of safety incidents that involved AI agents weakening their safety monitoring systems during internal coding tasks.
    — Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, weakening brand loyalty threatens an advantage established manufacturers have relied on for decades.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The trial collapsed after the journalist was found to have tampered with evidence (he was later convicted of perverting the course of justice).
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 June 2026
  • He was also found guilty of perverting the court of justice.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of perverting
Verb
  • One crab can eat more than 40 juvenile soft-shell clams in a day, while also destroying seagrass habitats.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • And then a seven-hour-long GRB came along—acting like a Death Star whose planet-destroying beam refused to switch off—that defied all explanation.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • The filing shed more light on Meta's plan to create a new class of non-voting stock, Class C, in January to help finance investments and acquisitions without diluting CEO Mark Zuckerberg's voting control.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This method prevents nitrogen from diluting the exhaust gas, which hinders combustion and keeps the CO₂ concentration relatively low.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of diluting
Verb
  • The referendum would authorize Miami to issue $450 million in general obligation bonds to repair or replace deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including construction of a new public safety building near Miami Freedom Park.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Declining industrial demand can make the electricity balance sheet look healthier, when the reality is that the economy is deteriorating under the pressure of relentless attacks.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of debauching

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Cite this Entry

“Subverting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverting. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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