perverse (pəˈvɜːs
)
Definitions
adjective
- deliberately deviating from what is regarded as normal, good, or proper
- persistently holding to what is wrong
- wayward or contrary; obstinate; cantankerous
- archaic perverted
Alternative Forms
perˈversely adverb perˈverseness nounWord Origin
C14: from Old French pervers, from Latin perversus turned the wrong waySynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
stubborn,
contrary,
unreasonable,
dogged,
contradictory,
troublesome,
rebellious,
wayward,
delinquent,
intractable,
wilful,
unyielding,
obstinate,
intransigent,
headstrong,
unmanageable,
cussed,
obdurate,
stiff-necked,
disobedient,
wrong-headed,
refractory,
pig-headed,
miscreant,
mulish,
cross-grained,
contumacious,
=
ill-natured,
cross,
surly,
petulant,
crabbed,
fractious,
spiteful,
churlish,
ill-tempered,
stroppy,
cantankerous,
peevish,
shrewish,
Usage examples
Perfect being a one hundred per cent mortality rate, which seemed a perverse use of the word.
, CHAMELEON (2002)The document doesn't mention the growing interference, demands, and often perverse priorities set by politicians in the affairs of medicine.
British Medical Journal (2002)But in a perverse way, the forewarning of blindness and further hearing loss has a positive side.
Courier, Sunday Mail (2002)Irresistibly charismatic, maniacally driven, he is prepared to sacrifice everything to satisfy his perverse ambition.
Glasgow Herald (2001)The general took perverse delight in humiliating his prisoner.
, Fire in the Lotus - the dynamic Buddhism of Nichiren (1991)