perversion
Americannoun
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the act of perverting.
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the state of being perverted.
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a perverted form of something.
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any of various means of obtaining sexual gratification that are generally regarded as being abnormal.
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Pathology. a change to what is unnatural or abnormal.
a perversion of function or structure.
noun
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any abnormal means of obtaining sexual satisfaction
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the act of perverting or the state of being perverted
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a perverted form or usage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perversion
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin perversiōn- (stem of perversiō ). See perverse, -ion
Explanation
Although most often used to refer to some sort of psychological corruption or abnormal behavior (usually sexual), the word perversion can actually refer to anything that is used for a distorted or wrong purpose. The Latin word pervertere, which means "turn around," serves as the basis for the noun perversion, suggesting something that is contrary to something else. The word developed a religious meaning in the 15th century, when it came to be used to refer to any distortion of church doctrine. Around 1700, the word developed a secular meaning, denoting what was considered deviant sexual behavior — often any sexual behavior other than that used to reproduce.
Vocabulary lists containing perversion
"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell
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"Oedipus the King" by Sophocles
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Ceremony
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Perversion of Justice makes clear that even as she doggedly investigated her career-topping story, Brown, a single mother with two children, struggled to make ends meet on a reporter’s ever-shrinking paycheck.
From Slate • Jul. 21, 2021
In Perversion of Justice, Brown writes that Epstein brought on Starr and Jay Lefkowitz, his longtime associate and partner at Kirkland & Ellis, because of their connections in the Bush Justice Department.
From Salon • Jul. 21, 2021
The first part of Julie K. Brown’s Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story reads like a good ol’ fashioned newspaper yarn.
From Slate • Jul. 21, 2021
The details are relayed in an excerpt from the upcoming book "Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story," written by Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown.
From Fox News • Jul. 19, 2021
Perversion of the tactile sense, or wrong reference to the sensation of pain, has occasionally been noticed.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
