Word of the Day
June 29, 2026
Subversive
Seeking or intended to undermine or overthrow an established institution, authority, or system from within.
From Latin 'subvertere', to overturn or overthrow, by way of the Old French 'subversif'.
Usage Examples
- British authorities branded the Sons of Liberty a subversive group for organizing resistance to the Crown.
- Spreading propaganda to erode public trust is a subversive tactic.
- The founders were called subversive for daring to challenge the established order of monarchy.
From the Show
Reed described how the British viewed Samuel Adams’s Sons of Liberty as a subversive organization bent on overturning royal authority. That framing anchored the June 29 broadcast on the ideas behind American independence, where both guests examined how colonists challenged an established order they had come to see as illegitimate.