pervert 1 of 2

pervert

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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
The interplay between pervert audience and chastising host is a delicate dance, as old as time. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024 Five states and Washington, D.C. have referendums next month that could profoundly change—and pervert—the way each conducts elections. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
What looks like an identity crisis is actually Chiara’s pursuit of her spiritual foundation — the search that con artist TV shows like Henry Louis Gates’s Finding Your Roots has perverted into political correctness — social-justice equity for the rich and famous. Armond White, National Review, 14 Feb. 2025 The spotlight has shown light on the big, bad wolves on the other end of those chats, yet the spotlight itself has perverted the process of real justice by making this a righteous spectacle. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pervert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pervert
Noun
  • This 24-hour dive near Uptown is for true degenerates looking to extend the party to unholy hours.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
  • At another point, a surface-to-air missile takes out a passenger airliner, something that really happened — but the attack is as purposeless here as the tragic original event, other than to remind us that Valet, who surveys the wreckage for valuables, is a degenerate.
    Boris Fishman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Rosenworcel also dismissed a challenge to a Fox station license alleging that Fox willfully distorted news with false reports of fraud in the 2020 election that Trump lost.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
  • But the only thing that is wild here is how badly the science supporting fluoridation is being distorted or ignored.
    Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Banks couldn’t simply restore from backups because those records had also been corrupted.
    Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Examples include divulging end users’ confidential contacts or emails and delivering falsified answers that have the potential to corrupt the integrity of important calculations.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.
    Liam Quinn, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Kevin Franke, the father of the children abused by Hildebrandt and his ex-wife, has advocated for more oversight of life coaches since the two women were sent to prison.
    Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Even when a big threat does arrive on the scene, the heroes aren't there right away, so plenty of innocent people get hurt before a villain gets brought to justice.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Whereas Serena could easily have emerged as a one-note villain, from the beginning of her tenure on the series, Strahovski has imbued Serena with a soulfulness that often puts the audience uncomfortably on her side, despite her reprehensible actions.
    Scarlett Harris, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Corson proceeded to inform the court of Petersen’s previous convictions in 2016 and 2017 when she was charged with misrepresenting herself as her sister when stopped by law enforcement.
    Olivia Estright, Twin Cities, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Milton's conviction came after a short seller called Hindenburg Research alleged in 2020 that the EV maker had misrepresented its technology.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Project 2025 is explicitly derived from the processes used by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to subvert his country’s democracy and by Russian leader Vladimir Putin to subvert the inchoate democratic movement after the fall of the Soviet Union.
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2025
  • With a limited color palette and very spare design, the show subverts the commonplace elements of an office and invents a haunting visual language all its own that creeps you out while drawing you in.
    Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • He was impeached by the state House in 2023 but acquitted by the state Senate after he was accused of misusing his office to benefit a real estate developer.
    Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Yet bioethicists, privacy experts and national security experts warn that genetic information can also be misused in dangerous ways.
    Abigail Dubiniecki, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pervert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pervert. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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