perverted 1 of 2

Definition of pervertednext

perverted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pervert
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2
3
as in abused
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

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 perverted
Adjective
Jeff is a bit of a voyeur or peeping Tom, though not in a perverted way. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025 These were the years in which capitalism shed its pitiless light on the absurd British soul, with its deep striations of caste and station, its postcolonial taint, most of all its perverted emotional core, full of love and loathing for its own extremes of domination and servitude. Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
Murry corrupted and perverted and destroyed Katherine both as a person and a writer […] Her gifts were those of an intense realist, with a superb sense of ironic humour and fundamental cynicism. Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025 Even more poignant, however, is the Rosemary's Baby angle, where the innocence of childhood is drowned in blood and the notion that a young person reared in a loving environment should develop into a compassionate adult is perverted into unthinkable horror. Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for perverted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perverted
Adjective
  • Rooting out corrupt generals and criminal networks could take months, or even years.
    Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Certainly, part of the way to improve Venezuela and to improve the Western Hemisphere and improve the lives of Americans is to get their very corrupt 25 years in decline, oil industry back going again.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Likewise, Guy Wolf, global head of market analytics at global financial services platform Marex, signaled that the price action in parts of the precious-metals complex has become increasingly distorted.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Particularly, as the virus of antisemitism spreads across the globe, the very meaning of the word antisemitism is being debated, diluted, and distorted.
    Marc Schneier, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Tracy Anderson believes most people today have had their attention spans hijacked by social media and their perception of beauty corrupted by trends.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 Jan. 2026
  • His mind is warped, his sense of morality corrupted.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said Kayode Agbolade Ogunba allegedly abused patients at a local care home.
    Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Others abused the hospitality, & winded up having to actually be evicted from the property.
    Cheyenne Derksen, Oklahoman, 27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The company acknowledges that direct recycling will not replace chemical methods entirely, particularly for mixed or degraded end-of-life batteries.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Bamberger, often regarded as a maverick, proved that degraded land could be revived.
    Lana Ferguson, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Shapiro says his comments were misrepresented.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Also consider that something could be misrepresented in this situation or another before January comes to a close.
    Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 17 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Trump's No Kings video was truly depraved.
    Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • DiCaprio has played disturbed and depraved individuals in Scorsese’s films before, but Killers of the Flower Moon is something different.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
    Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The government denied that DOGE had misused private data held by Social Security.
    Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Perverted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perverted. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.

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