1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
how can you be so cheerful one day, and so perverse the next?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
social conservatives who believe that Hollywood is a perverse world that exerts an unhealthy influence on the young
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3
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
a fact so self-evident that not even the most perverse of opponents could deny it
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4
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
a convicted criminal seemed like a perverse choice for a bank employee
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perverse
In a perverse way, Katrina is responsible for that.
—
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
But the quest to solve this problem may create perverse incentives.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
What might seem a perverse choice reveals itself, over Dry Leaf’s epic length, as a brilliant thematic gesture that elicits its own temporal register.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
The current system creates perverse incentives in numerous ways.
—Davina Hurt, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perverse
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
But the quest to solve this problem may create perverse incentives.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
What might seem a perverse choice reveals itself, over Dry Leaf’s epic length, as a brilliant thematic gesture that elicits its own temporal register.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
The current system creates perverse incentives in numerous ways.
—Davina Hurt, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perverse
Adjective
-
Instead, Helen is allowed to be irritable and anti-social, chain-smoking and snappish, without the filmmaker casting judgment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If you are rushed or irritable, say so.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The story of corrupt small-town cops taking on a former Marine was written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier and stars Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Delegates and party leaders described it as a corrupt and hypocritical maneuver from the governor.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Of all the bad-hair-day culprits, matted hair can be the most stubborn and frustrating.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Spills can be blotted (never rubbed) with a dry cloth since the fabric is non-absorptive, and for more stubborn stains, dry cleaning is recommended.—
Zoë Sessums,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Production on the star's prior film, Being Mortal, was suspended by Searchlight Pictures in 2022 after a staffer filed a complaint against actor Bill Murray, alleging inappropriate behavior.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
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While Roblox has filters and moderation, kids can still be exposed to inappropriate language, scams, or unsafe conversations.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Missouri Republican lawmakers late Thursday voted to advance a new, gerrymandered congressional map despite hours of fiery public testimony against the proposal.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
-
As the mystery unravels from multiple POVs, Alex’s kooky aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) is revealed as the orchestrator of the tragedy — her fiery orange hair, nimble fingers, ghostly face and wicked crimson smile a memorable image that haunts the narrative.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Developed by Toyota, the Sweep Energy Storage System rapidly switches each battery’s power flow on and off in mere microseconds, even when new batteries are connected to degraded or different capacity batteries.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Aug. 2025
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Yet, as Beech pointed out, a lot of the material goods actually from the ‘70s are of a lower quality than earlier decades and also more degraded than the period relics of the ‘80s and ‘90s.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As such, Mahomes evidently not only is immune to complacency but actually has become more adamant with success.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After taking a year off to improve his health, Renfrow was adamant about playing for the Panthers.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The prosecutor will ultimately decide whether the parents will be charged with improper storage and safekeeping of firearms or other potential crimes, Cappetto noted.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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However, there is consumer protection for defective merchandise or an improper charge.—
Mary Luquette,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perverse. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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