perverted

American  

[per-vur-tid] / pərˈvɜr tɪd /

adjective

1. Pathology. changed to or being of an unnatural or abnormal kind.

   a perverted interest in death.

2. turned from what is right; wicked; misguided; distorted.

3. affected with or caused by perversion.

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Other Word Forms

• nonperverted adjective
• nonpervertedly adverb
• pervertedly adverb
• pervertedness noun
• unperverted adjective
• unpervertedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of perverted

First recorded in 1660–70; pervert + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Des Jenson, Benguit's barrister, said that if police had coerced witnesses to lie, "it means that they have manufactured evidence, they've perverted the course of justice".

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

The combination of the value of the FBI’s criminal investigative powers together with their danger if perverted, the report added, “makes the office of FBI Director unique.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

“That states do have the power to further their own agendas in very perverted ways.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2024

Mahito is soon sucked into an alternate universe where the ills of the human world are on full display but perverted into greater absurdity.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2024

And Ben came with momentum, driven by fear as he entered the kitchen as a footsoldier bound by the rites of a perverted chivalry written into the family’s history.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy