perverse
adjective
per·verse
(ˌ)pər-ˈvərs 
ˈpər-ˌvərs
1
2
a
: obstinate in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
b
: arising from or indicative of stubbornness or obstinacy
3
: marked by peevishness or petulance : cranky
4
: marked by perversion
Synonyms
Examples of perverse in a Sentence
their perverse cruelty to animals
She has a perverse fascination with death.
He seems to take perverse pleasure in making things as difficult as possible.
His friends all enjoy his perverse sense of humor.
Is this some kind of perverse joke?
Recent Examples on the Web
However, this lowering of the barrier to creation has led to unfortunate perverse incentives for individuals trying to game the attention economy.
—
Ruby Justice Thelot, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Elijah, still steaming after Olympia unilaterally ended their relationship last week, seems to take a perverse glee in informing her that the firm now represents Foundate Financials, the corporation which owns the Waltons’ apartment building (among many, many others).
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
The Housemaid is an excessively perverse drama about a bourgeois family torn apart by a patriarch’s affair, and the dread of discovery by the community at large.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 28 Oct. 2024
In a dispiriting twist, the person who suffers most from the perverse ecology of online celebrity is Zoé.
—Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perverse 
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Ruby Justice Thelot, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Elijah, still steaming after Olympia unilaterally ended their relationship last week, seems to take a perverse glee in informing her that the firm now represents Foundate Financials, the corporation which owns the Waltons’ apartment building (among many, many others).
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
The Housemaid is an excessively perverse drama about a bourgeois family torn apart by a patriarch’s affair, and the dread of discovery by the community at large.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 28 Oct. 2024
In a dispiriting twist, the person who suffers most from the perverse ecology of online celebrity is Zoé.
—Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perverse
Dictionary Entries Near perverse
Cite this Entry
“Perverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perverse. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perverse
adjective
per·verse
(ˌ)pər-ˈvərs
ˈpər-ˌvərs
1
: morally bad : corrupt
2
: stubborn in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
4
: marked by perversion : perverted
perversely
adverb
perverseness
noun
Medical Definition
perverse
adjective
per·verse
pər-ˈvərs
: being, relating to, or characterized by perversion
perverse sexual behavior
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