English vocabulary · B2
Perverse
/pərˈvɜːrs/ · adj.
It means choosing to do what is wrong or against what is right, on purpose. Not a mistake — a deliberate turning away from good sense.
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Example sentences
- It was perverse to fire the best worker on the team.
- Choosing to eat only candy is a perverse food plan.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- per — away (from Latin)
- vert — turn (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- CONTRARY — doing the opposite (Mild & Everyday)
- STUBBORN — refusing to change (Character & Habit)
- WRONGHEADED — having wrong thinking (Judgment & Opinion)
Words with the same root
vert — turn
- reverse — turn back or change to the opposite
- convert — turn something into a different form
- divert — turn away from the main direction
Lesson notes
Perverse. It means choosing to do what is wrong or against what is right, on purpose. It is not a mistake — it is a deliberate turning away from good sense.
Similar words are contrary, stubborn, and wrongheaded. Use perverse when someone chooses the wrong path on purpose.
It was perverse to fire the best worker on the team. Choosing to eat only candy is a perverse food plan.
From Latin. Per- means away. Vert- means turn. Turning away from what is right on purpose — that is perverse.