Synonyms of perverse

perverse

adjective

(ˌ)pər-ˈvərs 

1

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

how can you be so cheerful one day, and so perverse the next?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritable
• fiery
• peevish
• petulant
• irascible
• waspish
• passionate
• cross
• crotchety
• pettish
• grouchy
• testy
• snarky
• choleric
• out of humor
• snappish
• out of sorts
• grumpy
• raspy
• short
• sensitive
• stuffy
• crabby
• disagreeable
• prickly
• cranky
• contentious
• ratty
• snippy
• bilious
• cantankerous
• dyspeptic
• short-tempered
• quick-tempered
• snippety
• bellicose
• ornery
• querulous
• curmudgeonly
• argumentative
• belligerent
• combative
• pugnacious
• fretful
• snarly
• surly
• truculent
• snappy
• bearish
• quarrelsome
• fractious
• ill-humored
• ill-natured
• cross-grained
• off-color
• sullen
• disputatious
• sulky
• tetchy
• ill-tempered
• pouty
• scrappy
• touchy
• huffy
• hot-blooded
• thin-skinned

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• friendly
• genial
• sweet
• affable
• amiable
• outgoing
• cordial
• agreeable
• gregarious
• companionable
• sociable
• extroverted
• good-natured
• carefree
• easygoing
• relaxed
• patient
• well-disposed
• tolerant
• understanding
• stoic
• good-tempered
• obliging
• uncomplaining
• forbearing
• long-suffering
• happy-go-lucky

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• corrupt
• degraded
• sick
• perverted
• decadent
• depraved
• crooked
• warped
• degenerate
• unwholesome
• dissolute
• debased
• debauched
• loose
• vicious
• libertine
• dishonest
• rakish
• unclean
• immoral
• demoralized
• spoiled
• wicked
• reprobate
• dissipated
• evil
• bad
• unscrupulous
• unprincipled
• unethical
• rakehell
• bent
• sinful
• cutthroat
• jackleg
• iniquitous
• nefarious
• contaminated
• tainted
• miscreant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pure
• ethical
• moral
• incorruptible
• honest
• good
• uncorrupted
• uncorrupt
• principled
• virtuous
• righteous

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stubborn
• adamant
• obsessive
• steadfast
• unrelenting
• uncompromising
• hardened
• willful
• intransigent
• mulish
• implacable
• obstinate
• obdurate
• unbending
• inflexible
• hard
• pertinacious
• unyielding
• strict
• immovable
• bullheaded
• adamantine
• opinionated
• dogged
• ossified
• persistent
• hardheaded
• headstrong
• pigheaded
• relentless
• self-willed
• hard-nosed
• pat
• determined
• wrongheaded
• stiff-necked
• deaf to reason
• inconvincible
• inexorable
• wayward
• rigid
• severe
• self-opinionated
• contrary
• defiant
• unflinching
• stern
• tenacious
• iron
• hard-line
• narrow-minded
• anal-retentive
• disobedient
• resolved
• cantankerous
• hidebound
• ungovernable
• intractable
• uncooperative
• single-minded
• unmanageable
• mutinous
• insubordinate
• contumacious
• recalcitrant
• unruly
• bloody-minded
• firm
• hell-bent
• froward
• refractory
• stouthearted
• exacting
• insurgent
• hard-shell
• demanding
• inveterate
• invincible
• unconquerable
• set
• unregenerate
• indomitable
• confirmed
• cussed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• agreeable
• flexible
• amenable
• compliant
• complying
• acquiescent
• pliant
• pliable
• yielding
• obedient
• docile
• submissive
• tractable
• receptive
• reasonable
• willing
• accepting
• responsive
• placable
• relenting
• manageable
• slavish
• temperate
• subservient
• persuadable
• governable

4

as in inappropriate

not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation

a convicted criminal seemed like a perverse choice for a bank employee

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inappropriate
• improper
• unsuitable
• wrong
• incorrect
• unhappy
• unfit
• unfortunate
• unseemly
• irrelevant
• incongruous
• indecorous
• infelicitous
• unbecoming
• untoward
• inept
• unacceptable
• out of place
• graceless
• out of the way
• inconsistent
• inapt
• bad
• amiss
• inapposite
• naughty
• awkward
• unapt
• malapropos
• sinful
• untimely
• unseasonable
• immaterial
• inopportune
• extraneous
• incompatible
• inapplicable
• forbidden
• uncongenial
• mismatched
• irrelative
• unsatisfactory
• censurable
• blameworthy
• prohibited
• blamable
• ungraceful
• barred
• proscribed
• gauche
• disallowed
• outlawed
• misbecoming
• banned
• interdicted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appropriate
• proper
• suitable
• correct
• right
• fitting
• felicitous
• happy
• relative
• relevant
• becoming
• meet
• genteel
• timely
• decorous
• applicable
• fortunate
• fit
• opportune
• congenial
• apt
• apposite
• seasonable
• harmonious
• pointed
• permitted
• material
• compatible
• seemly
• befitting
• acceptable
• satisfactory
• pat
• adequate
• authorized
• germane
• endorsed
• fine
• sanctioned
• approved
• all right
• tolerable
• decent
• respectable
• kosher
• apropos
• exemplary
• promoted
• licensed
• supported
• allowed
• commendable
• creditable
• OK
• passable
• encouraged
• blameless
• balanced
• irreproachable
• consonant
• abetted
• congruous
• companionate

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective perverse contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of perverse are balky, contrary, restive, and wayward. While all these words mean "inclined to resist authority or control," perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal.

a perverse, intractable critic

When can balky be used instead of perverse?

Although the words balky and perverse have much in common, balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action.

a balky witness

When is it sensible to use contrary instead of perverse?

In some situations, the words contrary and perverse are roughly equivalent. However, contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice.

a contrary child

Where would restive be a reasonable alternative to perverse?

The words restive and perverse can be used in similar contexts, but restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders.

tired soldiers growing restive

When would wayward be a good substitute for perverse?

The synonyms wayward and perverse are sometimes interchangeable, but wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior.

a school for wayward youths

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of perverse

Whistleblowers suggest that senior officials at the department intentionally coordinated a plan to keep the error rate high, with a perverse rationale. —Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2026

In this context, Trump’s belligerent signaling has created a perverse strategic dilemma for Latin American governments. —Oliver Stuenkel, Time, 9 Jan. 2026

The moment where Godzilla unleashes his atomic breath is a moment of unparalleled horror and, in a perverse way, beauty. —James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026

Canada’s government monopoly on the health care system can create perverse incentives for physicians and caseworkers to promote euthanasia instead of chronic treatment and support. —Dr. Jeffrey Singer, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026