perverse
[ per-vurs ]
/ pərˈvɜrs /
adjective
willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; contrary.
characterized by or proceeding from such a determination or disposition: a perverse mood.
wayward or cantankerous.
persistent or obstinate in what is wrong.
turned away from or rejecting what is right, good, or proper; wicked or corrupt.
Origin of perverse
1325–75; Middle English < Latin
perversus facing the wrong way, askew, orig. past participle of
pervertere. See
pervert
SYNONYMS FOR perverse
OTHER WORDS FROM perverse
Words nearby perverse
peruzzi,
perv,
perv on,
pervade,
pervasive,
perverse,
perversion,
perversity,
perversive,
pervert,
perverted
Example sentences from the Web for perverseness
Perverseness in this error hath brought the church to the misery which it endureth.
A Christian Directory (Part 4 of 4) |Richard BaxterPerverseness prompted Theodora to say, 'The baby at the lodge is twice the size.'
Heartsease |Charlotte M. YongeAnd then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of Perverseness.
Lords of the Housetops |Various
British Dictionary definitions for perverseness
perverse
/ (pəˈvɜːs) /
adjective
deliberately deviating from what is regarded as normal, good, or proper
persistently holding to what is wrong
wayward or contrary; obstinate; cantankerous
archaic
perverted
Derived forms of perverse
perversely, adverb perverseness, nounWord Origin for perverse
C14: from Old French
pervers, from Latin
perversus turned the wrong way