subversiv

[ˌzupvɛʁˈziːf]

/[ˌzupvɛʁˈziːf]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“subversiv” is uncommon German (frequency #85,906 among 8,027 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,906
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Subversion betreibend

Corpus desk

Index DE-subversiv · subversiv · German

subversiv · rank #85,906 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,906
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Subtraktion

Nearest frequency peer: Subtraktion (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „subversiv“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „subversiv“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for subversiv
PropertyValue
Headwordsubversiv
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˌzupvɛʁˈziːf]
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,906
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „subversiv“ im Deutschen

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).subversivfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „Subtraktion“ (#85,905), „suggestiv“ (#85,907), „Subkontinent“ (#85,904). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „subversiv“ bei #85,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

subversiv is uncommon German at frequency #85,906 among 8,027 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˌzupvɛʁˈziːf]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Subversion betreibend".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for subversiv, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is subversiv, spelled S-U-B-V-E-R-S-I-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    Subversion betreibend

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how subversiv appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Die Gruppe führte lange Zeit subversive Aktivitäten durch.
  2. „Gefördert wurde diese feindselige Einstellung durch den traditionellen katholischen Antijudaismus, durch einen immer heftigeren Drang der Polen, die Juden aus ihrem Gewerbe und ihren Berufen hinauszudrängen, sowie durch mythische Geschichten über subversive Aktivitäten der Juden, die sich gegen nationale Ansprüche und Rechte der Polen richteten.“

Synonyms

umstürzlerischuntergräberischunterwanderndzerstörend

Antonyms

konstruktivstaatstragendaffirmativ

This word in other languages

subversive(English)subversivo(Español)subversif(Français)subversivo(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "subversiv"?
"subversiv" is spelled S-U-B-V-E-R-S-I-V. The IPA pronunciation is [ˌzupvɛʁˈziːf].
What does "subversiv" mean?
As an adjective, "subversiv" means: Subversion betreibend
How do you pronounce "subversiv"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "subversiv" is [ˌzupvɛʁˈziːf]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "subversiv" come from?
"subversiv" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "subversiv", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

suggestiv#85,907Sturmwind#85,901Südflügel#85,913stringent#85,894

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list