1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
how can you be so cheerful one day, and so perverse the next?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perverse
Recent claims, in the conservative press, of a twelve-person orgy among officials at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Tennessee, offer salacious elaboration on this theme of erotic pathology, casting the bureaucrat in the bedroom as at once perverse and virtuosic.
—
Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Scientists must do their part to preserve and defend the scientific enterprise by doing better science, fixing the perverse incentives that encourage misconduct and making greater efforts to educate the public about how science works.
—Ferric C. Fang, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2025
Weaker countries also suffer most as a result of the perverse incentives the norm produces.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
Even many of those with good insurance coverage are frustrated at the system’s perverse incentives, byzantine regulations, and opaque processes.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perverse
Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Scientists must do their part to preserve and defend the scientific enterprise by doing better science, fixing the perverse incentives that encourage misconduct and making greater efforts to educate the public about how science works.
—Ferric C. Fang, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2025
Weaker countries also suffer most as a result of the perverse incentives the norm produces.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
Even many of those with good insurance coverage are frustrated at the system’s perverse incentives, byzantine regulations, and opaque processes.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perverse
Adjective
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Strong winds also may have North Texans feeling more irritable, which scientists blame on there being too many positive ions in the air.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2025
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Signs of overextension burnout include feeling emotionally drained, becoming irritable and struggling to focus—all of which can affect both your work and personal life.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Ellen Pompeo, Bella Ramsey, Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Paul Feig & More Based on the New York Times best-selling comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys follows a group of vigilantes who aim to keep corrupt superheroes in check.—
Ryan Fleming,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2025
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On top of that, Adams has sagging poll numbers, low fundraising dollars and the appearance of a corrupt bargain with President Trump.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Despite growing consternation and concern expressed by economists and CEOs, Trump administration officials have been stubborn in defending its trade policies.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ocasio-Cortez might have a good shot at cracking that stubborn nut.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Is the ‘Minecraft’ movie inappropriate? Not particularly.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
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The league’s reason for not punishing Morant was understanding his intent behind the gesture wasn’t violent, but Morant was advised to refrain from using the inappropriate celebration.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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After speaker introductions, a panel of state officials and medical providers fielded questions from the media, and Larson stepped up to answer the first one, speaking in his typical fiery rhetoric.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2025
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Azealia Banks and Wale found themselves in a fiery social media clash this week, sparked by an unrelated response to Wale’s X post.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Apple spent years ignoring RCS, allowing iPhones to offer a degraded messaging experience with Android users.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
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Figure 4 shows an example of a daytime camera image in degraded visibility conditions, of a 1 m wide buoy at a range of 2 nautical miles (3.6 miles).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Paul has been adamant that the tariffs won’t help the U.S. His frustration with the tariffs came as seven GOP senators signed on to a bipartisan bill that sought to have Congressional oversight over the president’s tariffs.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
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The 12-time Emmy award-winner was also adamant about sharing her cancer journey with her audience—hoping that her experience might offer support and guidance to others facing similar challenges.—
Joanne Fowler,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Tony Bennett's daughters filed a new lawsuit in New York, claiming their brother abused his power of fiduciary duty and other improper and unlawful conduct, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Lawsuits brought to appease Trump or punish his enemies are brought for an improper purpose.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perverse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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