perversion

per·ver·sion | \ pər-ˈvər-zhən

How to pronounce perversion (audio)

, -shən \

Definition of perversion

1 : the action of perverting : the condition of being perverted

2 : a perverted form especially : an aberrant sexual practice or interest especially when habitual

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about perversion

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of perversion in a Sentence

They fought against perversion of the health-care system. claimed that rap and rock music were responsible for the perversion of the nation's young people

Recent Examples on the Web The perversion of a scientific practice takes a second; its rectification takes a semester. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, "Revisiting Mengele’s Malignant “Race Science”," 15 June 2020 Senate Republicans on Tuesday laid the groundwork for a truncated trial of President Trump that would be a perversion of justice. — Washington Post, "Editorial Roundup: US," 22 Jan. 2020 The problem with the quixotic search for virality is that triumph depends on the algorithmic perversions of the social media platform. — Dan Pfeiffer, Wired, "Wake Up, Democrats! Memes Matter in the Race to 2020," 18 Feb. 2020 Although there are hints of San Francisco’s legendary perversions, our otherwise curious narrator never dabbles. — Malcolm Harris, The New Republic, "The Uneasy Promise of Life in Silicon Valley," 3 Feb. 2020 His ownership of the career home run mark (762) is a gross PED perversion of a sacred mark. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Clemens and Bonds belong in the Hall . . . and other baseball thoughts," 23 Jan. 2020 Moore and Ennis asked whether the world, with all of its flaws, corruption, and perversion, was even worth saving. — Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, "“Watchmen,” “The Boys,” and the False Hope That Superheroes Can Save Us," 17 Dec. 2019 The actions of the Arkansas state legislature were a betrayal of their duty to their constituents and a blatant perversion of the purpose of government. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Judge serves up sizzling rebuke of Arkansas’ anti-veggie-meat labeling law," 12 Dec. 2019 Unless this is some perversion of that sinful between-meals indulgence. — Sanaya Chandar, Quartz India, "Woke, lit, snacc: When GenZ lingo stumped our resident elder millennial," 6 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perversion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about perversion

Dictionary Entries near perversion

per verba de praesenti

Statistics for perversion

Last Updated

29 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Perversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perversion. Accessed 6 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for perversion

perversion

noun

English Language Learners Definition of perversion

: sexual behavior that people think is not normal or natural

: something that improperly changes something good

: the process of improperly changing something that is good

See the full definition for perversion in the English Language Learners Dictionary

perversion

per·ver·sion | \ pər-ˈvər-zhən, -shən

\

Medical Definition of perversion

1 : the action of perverting or the condition of being perverted

2 : an aberrant sexual practice or interest especially when habitual

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

legerdemain

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

A More Exception(al) Quiz

Which of the following words is not a synonym for ‘a young person’?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.