as in irritability
readiness to show annoyance or impatience
a certain coworker's habitual perversity makes him unpleasant to be around
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Recent Examples of perversity
The perversity of government stakes in private companies is made even clearer by other Washington antics.
—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Actions matter, not words that, in their perversity, made matters worse.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Actions matter, not words that, in their perversity, made matters worse.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perversity
Noun
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The irritability or walking into a room only to forget why seconds later.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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This could look like mood swings, irritability, hostility, feelings of depression, and thoughts of suicide or self-harm.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This massive one by Salaün — her second of three en route to 19 points — was set up by the aggression of Leite, who became the attacker that moved Dallas’ defense.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Thomas Heatherwick gave a lecture at the Russian Pavilion, a questionable choice in itself and one that drew calls for a boycott, considering Russia’s curators canceled the country’s participation in the Biennale because of the country’s aggression in Ukraine.—
Kate Wagner,
Curbed,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Before the Bucs' preseason finale, head coach Todd Bowles praised Sanders for his effort on special teams and his overall aggressiveness.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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The Detroit Tigers came into last offseason with some money to spend and a lot of aggressiveness.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perversity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perversity. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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