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”; pervert

Example Sentences

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

From MarketWatch

“It’s a somewhat perverse love of delayed gratification.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Adam Smith understood that protectionism creates perverse incentives.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Related Words

• contradictory
• wicked