Subvert vs Avert - What's the difference?
subvert | avert |
To overturn from the foundation; to overthrow; to ruin utterly.
* Shakespeare
* John Locke
To pervert, as the mind, and turn it from the truth; to corrupt; to confound.
To upturn convention from the foundation by undermining it (literally, to turn from beneath).
To turn aside or away.
To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.
* Milton
* Prior
(archaic) To turn away.
* Thomson
(archaic) To turn away.
* Francis Bacon
In transitive terms the difference between subvert and avert
is that subvert is to upturn convention from the foundation by undermining it (literally, to turn from beneath) while avert is to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.As a noun subvert
is an advertisement created by subvertising.subvert
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) subverten, from (etyl) subvertir, from (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- He razeth your cities, and subverts your towns.
- This would subvert the principles of all knowledge.
- A dictator stays in power only as long as he manages to subvert the will of his people.
Derived terms
* subversion * subversiveEtymology 2
, by analogy with advert.Synonyms
* subvertisementavert
English
Verb
(en verb)- To avert the eyes from an object.
- How can the danger be averted ?
- To avert his ire.
- Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.
- Cold and averting from our neighbour's good.
- When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.
Derived terms
* averter * avertressSynonyms
* (to prevent) * See alsoReferences
* "avert" at OneLook® Dictionary Search .