1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
how can you be so cheerful one day, and so perverse the next?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
social conservatives who believe that Hollywood is a perverse world that exerts an unhealthy influence on the young
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3
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
a fact so self-evident that not even the most perverse of opponents could deny it
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4
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
a convicted criminal seemed like a perverse choice for a bank employee
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perverse
Its dual narrative concerns a set of perverse medical experiments about human consciousness performed in an early-20th-century Argentine sanitorium and, a century later, an outsider artist who carries forth the legacy of these trials in grotesque ways.
—
The Atlantic, 15 May 2025
Private insurance: perverse incentives Because of unwise regulations, private insurers also face perverse incentives.
—John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
This would undo the perverse incentive by which states prioritize coverage for able-bodied, working-age people instead of the poor children or disabled people Medicaid is supposed to be for.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 May 2025
There’s almost a perverse joy in refusing that contemporary television tendency to really dive into the trauma or the backstory or the mythology of a character.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for perverse
The Atlantic, 15 May 2025
Private insurance: perverse incentives Because of unwise regulations, private insurers also face perverse incentives.
—John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
This would undo the perverse incentive by which states prioritize coverage for able-bodied, working-age people instead of the poor children or disabled people Medicaid is supposed to be for.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 May 2025
There’s almost a perverse joy in refusing that contemporary television tendency to really dive into the trauma or the backstory or the mythology of a character.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for perverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perverse
Adjective
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Cass fulfills his obligations in a particularly irritable way.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
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One person’s fatigue is another’s back pain, is another’s migraine or irritable bowel, or long Covid, and so on.—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look at the film, which follows Ahmed's Ash, an off-the-grid fixer who brokers deals between whistleblowers and corrupt corporations through a message relay service that maintains anonymity.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
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Sara’s friend from her secret agent days, Teresa, is also taking matters into her own hands after also losing a loved one to a corrupt system.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Their relationship can be difficult as AM is stubborn and likes to have her way always.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Some of these infections stop on their own, but others are too stubborn, or too serious, to leave untreated.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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What if the user is in an inappropriate environment?—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
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The constable’s office was notified of the inappropriate request June 10 when the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force came into contact with Slusher’s request, officials said in a news release.—
Kate Linderman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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But, Jackson pairs them with a matching black leotard and a floor-length trench coat, letting all the attention fall on the fiery red pointed pumps.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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Mint green and lavender read soothing, while fiery red and deep orange create a dramatic statement.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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These systems use signals that are orders of magnitude stronger than satellite signals and can serve as a resilient backup when GPS is degraded or unavailable.—
Mariam Sorond,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
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Additionally, about 6,600 acres of degraded coastal land will be improved to provide a third buffer against coastal storms and erosion processes.—
Suzanne Wright,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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But Rawan is adamant that solving this will need more than just high-tech products.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Furious, Julian is adamant that Gabby wasn’t on the boat with Finn and Toby.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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The man, Lawrence Ray, argued that Hughes’ testimony about coercive control was improper.—
Gina Barton,
USA Today,
11 June 2025
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And so the improper payment rate, the numbers in EITC is around $60 or so billion a year in refunds, but about $20 billion of that is designated as improper payment based on the audit activity, which is actually under 1 percent.—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perverse. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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