pervert 1 of 2

pervert

2 of 2

verb

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as in to abuse
to put to a bad or improper use accused of perverting the Internal Revenue Service by using it to harass political opponents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pervert different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of pervert are corrupt, debase, debauch, deprave, and vitiate. While all these words mean "to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character," pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Where would corrupt be a reasonable alternative to pervert?

While the synonyms corrupt and pervert are close in meaning, corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

When might debase be a better fit than pervert?

The words debase and pervert can be used in similar contexts, but debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

When is debauch a more appropriate choice than pervert?

The meanings of debauch and pervert largely overlap; however, debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

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

When would deprave be a good substitute for pervert?

While in some cases nearly identical to pervert, deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

In what contexts can vitiate take the place of pervert?

The words vitiate and pervert are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pervert
Noun
Another of the girls called Essex a pervert, which prompted their mother to ask more questions. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024 The imagery is intended to mock and reflect modern Japan in some way — from the overworked salarymen gleefully staging suicidal leaps off of buildings to the schoolgirls (who, in the dream, have cell phones for heads) exposing themselves to perverts (who also have cell phones for heads). Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2024
Verb
Yet perverting that good news story into some tawdry political gain cheapens SpaceX, NASA, and Wilmore and Williams. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025 In the 1980s the game was engulfed in the Satanic panic, attracting accusations of perverting youth with witchcraft. Eric Francisco, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pervert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pervert
Noun
  • Novak: The fact that this group of degenerates, these bloodsucking, mass-murdering vampires and wannabe vampires, [could be] so lovable is amazing.
    Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
  • Those who hold advanced degrees in mathematics and analytics, or your favorite degenerate gambler, know any piece of datum is only reliant on the trove of data that occurred previously.
    Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025
Verb
  • Noise can distort observations and introduce uncertainties into the data, Zhang said.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 June 2025
  • The history of financial regulation has clarified the problems with this approach, but somehow that history still gets badly distorted.
    Norbert Michel, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • To make matters worse, beyond unintentional biases, bad actors may corrupt AI technologies by feeding false or divisive information into AI training data.
    Corinne Post, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
  • In one poignant conversation, Hoover described how the GDs needed to corrupt our youth.
    Ronald S. Safer, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • Three-time gold medal sprinter Gabby Thomas was verbally abused at a track meet in Philadelphia, not the first harassment this year.
    Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025
  • This principle is important because cybercriminals rely on abusing our trust and exposing our blind spots to steal sensitive data.
    Can Yildizli, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.
    Emily Blackwood, People.com, 6 June 2025
  • Nicholas Hoult plays the film’s villain, the megalomaniac super-genius Lex Luthor.
    Jack Dunn, Variety, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Bailey’s story came to global attention with the 2021 Netflix series Sophie: A Murder in West Cork, which Sheridan believes deeply misrepresented the truth.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2025
  • Do nothing, and risk being misrepresented—or worse, left out of the conversation altogether.
    Jill Standish, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Relative to previous presidents, Trump is much more willing to ignore the country’s interests and pursue goals that openly subvert them.
    Daniel Byman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025
  • Both underscore how well this series, at its best, generates suspense from editing, while either subverting expectations or diabolically playing on common fears.
    A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • But like any powerful tool, healing language can also be misused, especially by those with manipulative or abusive tendencies.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
  • Kasper, who worked in the first Trump administration, had previously been chief of staff to Rep. Duncan Hunter, Jr. Hunter had been convicted of misusing campaign funds and was later pardoned by Trump.
    Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pervert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pervert. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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