pervert

1 of 2

verb

per·​vert pər-ˈvərt 

perverted; perverting; perverts

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

perverter noun

pervert

2 of 2

noun

per·​vert ˈpər-ˌvərt 

: one that has been perverted

specifically : one given to some form of sexual perversion

Synonyms

Verb

• distort
• misrepresent

Noun

• degenerate
• villain

Choose the Right Synonym for pervert

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character.

debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Examples of pervert in a Sentence

Verb

people who pervert their religion to support violence

They perverted the truth to help further their careers.

movies that pervert the minds of young people by glorifying violence

Noun

a pervert who, because of years of bad choices, couldn't get a job

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The real fiends were the ones who perverted science, who attacked this misunderstood giant out of fear, who branded him as something unholy and unworthy to exist, who gave him life but didn’t give him love. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025

Aware of this injustice, companies are hiring lawyers and influence peddlers to bolster their MAGA credentials and pervert traditional law enforcement. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025

Noun

The Gooneral’s attendees didn’t care that Malone was, from all available evidence, not a gooner at all but rather an unaffiliated, lone-wolf pervert. —Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Boiled down to a thoughtless pervert by the public, Six became one. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1501, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pervert

• pervert justice
• pervert the course of justice

Kids Definition

pervert

1 of 2 verb

per·​vert pər-ˈvərt 

1

: to cause to turn away from what is good or true or right : corrupt

2

: to put to a wrong use

3

: to give a wrong meaning to : misinterpret

pervert

2 of 2 noun

per·​vert ˈpər-ˌvərt 

: one that is perverted

especially : one given to some form of sexual perversion

Medical Definition

pervert

1 of 2 transitive verb

per·​vert pər-ˈvərt 

: to cause to engage in perversion or to become perverted

pervert

2 of 2 noun

per·​vert ˈpər-ˌvərt 

: one that has been perverted

specifically : one given to some form of sexual perversion