perversion

noun per·ver·sion \ pər-ˈvər-zhən , -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

See perversion defined for English-language learners

See perversion defined for kids

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 of perversion from the Web

If the 288 was a thorough rework of the 308, the F40 was an absolute perversion of the shape, as far removed from the 308’s sexed-up take on the 1970s wedge as its competitor for the hearts and minds of young boys in the late 1980s—

— davey g. johnson, Car and Driver, "At Dark among the Prancing Horses: We Wander a Field of 70 Historic Ferraris," 25 Aug. 2017
Suddenly, the caricature feels less like a perversion or elongation of the truth than a terrifying new reality.

— vanityfair.com, "How Russia Mercilessly Played Trump for a Fool," 20 July 2017
Suddenly, the caricature feels less like a perversion or elongation of the truth than a terrifying new reality.

— peter savodnik, The Hive, "How Russia Mercilessly Played Trump for a Fool," 20 July 2017
But as social-justice advocates continually broaden their demands, perversions of social justice begin to do damage, like the excesses of any ideology insufficiently checked by analytic rigor and diversity.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "A College Student Who Seeks to Learn Rather Than to Teach," 7 July 2017
Members of the gay community faced a serious threat of being jailed, blackmailed, institutionalized, killed, or even lobotomized for what was then labeled as a sexual perversion and/or mental disorder.

— alexa lisitza, Teen Vogue, "History of Pride Parades in the U.S.," 23 June 2017
Nikolay Bayev, Aleksey Kiselev and Nikolay Alekseyev staged protests between 2009 and 2012, holding banners stating that homosexuality is natural and normal, and not a perversion, according to the court ruling.

— angela dewan, CNN, "Russian 'gay propaganda law' discriminatory, European court rules," 20 June 2017
Perversion of a black man’s attempt to take care of himself doesn’t come in the form of a pickup with floodlights and a Confederate flag.

— ian graber-stiehl, The Root, "Running While Black: Melanin and Movement Does Not a ‘Thug’ Make," 11 June 2017
If Wednesday's attack in Kabul is any indication, the perversion of Ramadan by such militant outfits will haunt us for years to come.

— max bearak, Washington Post, "How terrorists warp the meaning of Ramadan to justify their atrocities," 31 May 2017

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.