/ səbˈvɜːsɪv; NAmE -ˈvɜːrs-/ adjective
trying or likely to destroy or damage a government or political system by attacking it secretly or indirectly
SYN seditious
► sub·ver·sive noun :
He was a known political subversive.
► sub·ver·sive·ly adverb
► sub·ver·sive·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin subversivus , from the verb subvertere , from sub- from below + vertere to turn.