Adjacent Words

Subversion definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SUBVER'SION, n. [L. subversio. See Subvert.] Entire overthrow; an overthrow of the foundation; utter ruin; as the subversion of a government or state; the subversion of despotic power; the subversion of the constitution or laws; the subversion of an empire.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: destroying someone's (or some group's) honesty or loyalty; undermining moral integrity; "corruption of a minor"; "the big city's subversion of rural innocence" [syn: corruption, subversion]
2: the act of subverting; as overthrowing or destroying a legally constituted government [syn: subversion, subversive activity]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin subversion-, subversio, from Latin subvertere Date: 14th century 1. the act of subverting ; the state of being subverted; especially a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from within 2. obsolete a cause of overthrow or destruction • subversionary adjective • subversive adjective or noun • subversively adverb • subversiveness noun

U.S. Military Dictionary

Actions designed to undermine the military, economic, psychological, or political strength or morale of a governing authority. See also unconventional warfare. (JP 3-24)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Subversion Sub*ver"sion, n. [L. subversio: cf. F. subversion. See Subvert.] The act of overturning, or the state of being overturned; entire overthrow; an overthrow from the foundation; utter ruin; destruction; as, the subversion of a government; the subversion of despotic power; the subversion of the constitution. The subversion [by a storm] of woods and timber . . . through my whole estate. --Evelyn. Laws have been often abused to the oppression and subversion of that order they were intended to preserve. --Rogers.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Subversion is the attempt to weaken or destroy a political system or a government. He was arrested in parliament on charges of subversion for organizing the demonstration.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Overturn, inversion. 2. Overthrow, destruction, demolition, ruin.

Moby Thesaurus

alienation, answer, bloodless revolution, bouleversement, brainwashing, breakdown, breakup, capsizal, capsize, cataclysm, catastrophe, clean slate, clean sweep, complete answer, computer revolution, confounding, confutation, contradiction, controversion, convulsion, corruption, counterindoctrination, counterrevolution, culbute, debacle, demolishing, demolition, denial, destroying, destruction, discrediting, displacement, downfall, effective rejoinder, fall, indoctrination, overset, overthrow, overthrowal, overturn, palace revolution, prostration, radical change, rebuttal, refutal, refutation, reindoctrination, revolt, revolution, revolutionary war, revulsion, ruin, sabotage, somersault, somerset, spasm, spill, squelch, striking alteration, sweeping change, tabula rasa, technological revolution, total change, transilience, turnover, undermining, upheaval, upset, upsetting, upturn, violent change, wreckage, wrecking