perverse

American  

[per-vurs] / pərˈvɜrs /

adjective

1. willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; contrary.

   Synonyms:

   disobedient, contumacious

   Antonyms:

   agreeable

2. characterized by or proceeding from such a determination or disposition.

   a perverse mood.

3. wayward or cantankerous.

4. persistent or obstinate in what is wrong.

   Synonyms:

   headstrong, stubborn

   Antonyms:

   tractable

5. turned away from or rejecting what is right, good, or proper; wicked or corrupt.

   Synonyms:

   sinful, bad, evil

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perverse British  

/ pəˈvɜːs /

adjective

1. deliberately deviating from what is regarded as normal, good, or proper

2. persistently holding to what is wrong

3. wayward or contrary; obstinate; cantankerous

4. archaic perverted

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Related Words

See willful.

Other Word Forms

• perversely
  adverb
• perverseness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of perverse

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French pervers, “wicked, unnatural,” from Latin perversus “facing the wrong way, askew,” past participle of pervertere “to turn around, overturn”; see pervert

Explanation

Something that's perverse is deviant — it's not completely acceptable, and it may be even a little strange. Your perverse sense of humor probably makes some of your friends laugh while others just look uncomfortable. Something perverse is unusual, possibly somewhat weird, and even immoral, like that time the odd kid in class announced that a love poem was really all about lovingly poisoning squirrels and no one sat next to him for a week afterwards. That kid's perspective was perverse. Perverse can also mean "stubbornly contradictory" or "perverted." The word originally meant "wicked," from the Latin perversus, "turned away or askew," and figuratively, "turned away from what is right."

Example Sentences

The perverse reality is that the court’s use of history in Callais couldn’t be more backward.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

“The most perverse scenario … is a further equities grind sideways to slightly down, but no crash/no shocks,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

Such perverse incentives flow from the government’s vast mortgage backstop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Judge John Dodd KC told Wood Green Crown Court that Chan was a "perverse and depraved" man who had "clearly lost all sense of moral compass".

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

The first trial, of a Los Alamos device code-named Bravo, was a fiasco, though one that brought a sort of perverse credit to the Los Alamos lab.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• contradictory
• wicked