pervert

¹per·vert

verb \pər-ˈvərt\

Definition of PERVERT

transitive verb

1

a : to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : corrupt b : to cause to turn aside or away from what is generally done or accepted : misdirect

2

a : to divert to a wrong end or purpose : misuse b : to twist the meaning or sense of : misinterpret

— per·vert·er noun

Examples of PERVERT

1. people who pervert their religion to support violence
2. They perverted the truth to help further their careers.
3. movies that pervert the minds of young people by glorifying violence

Origin of PERVERT

Middle English, from Anglo-French purvertir, pervertir, from Latin pervertere to overturn, corrupt, pervert, from per- thoroughly + vertere to turn — more at per-, worth

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PERVERT

Synonyms: bend, color, cook, distort, falsify, fudge, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent, misstate, garble, slant, twist, warp

Antonyms: elevate, ennoble, uplift

Related Words: misdescribe, misspeak, mistranslate; belie, camouflage, disguise, dissemble, gloss (over), mask, veil, whitewash; bowdlerize, censor; complicate, confound, confuse, mistake, mix (up); mystify, obscure; equivocate, fib, lie, palter, prevaricate

Near Antonyms: clarify, clear (up), explain, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, spell out; decipher

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at debase

Rhymes with PERVERT

advert, alert, assert, avert, bellwort, birthwort, Blackshirt, brownshirt, bush shirt, camp shirt, colewort, concert, convert, covert, desert, dessert, dissert, divert, dress shirt, evert, exert, expert, exsert, figwort, fleawort, glasswort, hair shirt, Hastert, hornwort, inert, insert, invert, lousewort, lungwort, madwort, milkwort, mugwort, nightshirt, outskirt, overt, pay dirt, pilewort, ragwort, redshirt, revert, ribwort, saltwort, sandwort, Schubert, seagirt, sea squirt, soapwort, spearwort, spleenwort, stitchwort, stonewort, stuffed shirt, subvert, sweatshirt, toothwort, T-shirt, ungirt