Subvert.
Synonyms:
| destroy, | overthrow, | ruin, | supplant, |
| extinguish, | overturn, | supersede, | suppress. |
To subvert is to overthrow from or as from the very foundation; utterly destroy; bring to ruin. The word is now generally figurative, as of moral or political ruin. To supersede implies the putting of something that is wisely or unwisely preferred in the place of that which is removed; to subvert does not imply substitution. To supplant is more often personal, signifying to take the place of another, usually by underhanded means; one is superseded by authority, supplanted by a rival. Compare ABOLISH.
Antonyms:
conserve, keep, perpetuate, preserve, sustain, uphold.