perversity

American  

[per-vur-si-tee] / pərˈvɜr sɪ ti /

noun

plural

perversities

1. a willful tendency or determination to go counter to what is expected or desired, sometimes for no apparent reason; contrariness.

   On Thanksgiving, out of sheer perversity, he brought up a topic that was almost taboo for his family.

2. the quality of being, or having an effect, exactly contrary to what is expected or desired.

   The administration was slow to acknowledge the perversity of their welfare reform, which has given the underemployed an incentive to become unemployed.

3. persistence or obstinacy in what is wrong.

   She again rejected her parents' advice with self-defeating perversity.

4. a turning away from or rejection of thoughts and deeds one knows are right, good, or proper; wickedness or corruption.

   The preacher lamented the perversity of mankind that began in the Garden of Eden.

5. an instance of willful contrariety, obstinacy, or wickedness, or an outcome directly opposite to one’s intentions or expectations.

   One of the perversities of the system is that the worse one’s crime in one’s home country, the more likely one is to gain asylum.

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perversity British  

/ pəˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality or state of being perverse

2. a perverse action, comment, etc

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Other Word Forms

• nonperversity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of perversity

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Old French perversité, from Latin perversitāt-, stem of perversitās “wrongheadedness, unreasonableness”; see origin at perverse, -ity

Explanation

When you choose to act in a way that's unreasonable, contrary, or just plain wrong, you're displaying perversity. Your perversity might lead you to throw your empty soda can on the ground instead of in the recycling bin. Being deliberately contrary — doing the opposite of what people expect or want you to do — is one characteristic of perversity. There's also a sense inherent in this word of acting strangely or deviantly. Your perversity might mean that your jokes tend to make everyone around you feel uncomfortable. The Latin root is perversus, "turned away, contrary, or askew."

Example Sentences

The British Chamber of Commerce's president, Andy Haldane, told the BBC: "The perversity of what happened of the weekend was that those who got good deals, the allies, have been most disadvantaged."

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

“He spoke so fast that the amazing perversity of his arguments escaped undetected; what remains of them is a monument of ingenuity and insolence.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

“It is embarrassing that an athlete feels comfortable to commit such perversity as if all he achieved through sport will stop him from being punished.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2024

The most astonishing aspect of the Oher story is that virtually no one who read the book, or saw the movie, chose to recognize this perversity.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2023

His reputation then fell victim to two nearly calamitous setbacks, one beyond his control and the other the product of his personal flair for perversity.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis