perverse

[ per-vurs ]

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

perverse

/ 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

Derived Forms

• perˈverseness, noun
• perˈversely, adverb

Other Words From

• per·verse·ly adverb
• per·verse·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of perverse¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of perverse¹

C14: from Old French pervers, from Latin perversus turned the wrong way

Synonym Study

See willful.

Example Sentences

It would fun to look for a perverse joke in here, but we’ve covered that already.

From Washington Post

This will create some perverse incentives for doctors like me, who often think more about the benefit to individual patients than we do to society at large.

From Vox

As in “Pond,” there’s an uncanny coolness to Glass’s portrayal of an unstable young woman, a voyeurism that’s by turns both pleasant and perverse.

From Washington Post

We need to reward nursing homes for the basics, too, like cleaning and infectious-disease control, rather than costly extra services — a perverse system that damn near amounted to geronticide when the pandemic hit.

From Washington Post

This is the first time someone’s tried to come up with a regulated rate card for how it should work and trying to arrive at a fair set of terms without invoking all sorts of unintended consequences and perverse outcomes.

From Digiday

Beck takes the prize for Most Perverse Offering by an Artist in 2012.

From The Daily Beast

His reason prompted him to listen, but the Imp of the Perverse laughed reason to scorn.

From Project Gutenberg

As it is, you will easily perceive that I am one of the many uncounted victims of the Imp of the Perverse.

From Project Gutenberg

Examine these similar actions as we will, we shall find them resulting solely from the spirit of the Perverse.

From Project Gutenberg

Perverse cruelty on the part of the government came to their attention with distressing frequency.

From Project Gutenberg

Perverse fashion kept them in London even in April and May for "the season," just when in the country nature was most alluring.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• contradictory
• wicked