pervert
1 of 2verb
per·vert pər-ˈvərt 
perverted; perverting; perverts
transitive verb
1
a
: to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : corrupt
b
: to cause to turn aside or away from what is generally done or accepted : misdirect
2
a
: to divert to a wrong end or purpose : misuse
b
: to twist the meaning or sense of : misinterpret
perverter noun
pervert
2 of 2noun
per·vert ˈpər-ˌvərt
: one that has been perverted
specifically : one given to some form of sexual perversion
Synonyms
Verb
- bend
- color
- cook
- distort
- falsify
- fudge
- garble
- misinterpret
- misrelate
- misrepresent
- misstate
- slant
- twist
- warp
Noun
- backslider
- debauchee
- debaucher
- decadent
- degenerate
- deviate
- libertine
- perv
- profligate
- rake
- rakehell
- rip
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb people who pervert their religion to support violence They perverted the truth to help further their careers. movies that pervert the minds of young people by glorifying violence Noun a pervert who, because of years of bad choices, couldn't get a job
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Lipsyte, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 Yet Cry Macho, though minor, confronts the craven politics that pervert parenthood and international responsibility — whether volatile, unresolved concerns at the U.S.—Mexico border or the hasty, humiliating Afghanistan evacuation. Armond White, National Review, 17 Sep. 2021 Its crowded stadium shots present us with the contemporary mystery of how masses of friendly people later convert into the opposition — the spirit of brotherhood that politics currently pervert. Kyle Smith, National Review, 6 Aug. 2021 Money can really inform and pervert our most intimate relationships, beyond just the employee-guest relationship at the hotel. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 18 July 2021 Most presidents won't pervert the conduct of their office the way Trump did. Star Tribune, 23 Jan. 2021 The Gettysburg gambit is just his latest attempt to appropriate American history and symbology and pervert it to suit his ends. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2020 But then Kaepernick’s message, as messages often do, became perverted into a debate that had nothing to do with his point. Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, 6 June 2020 McNeil isn’t oblivious to the dark side of lurking, the way certain corners of the internet study discourses to mimic, troll, or pervert them. Adrian Daub, The New Republic, 13 Apr. 2020 The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 July 2022 Fighting with one another is weakening our pervert brand. David Marchese, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2022 Brandon is spiraling down the pervert drain to be eventually flushed out into the ocean of depravity. Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 15 Feb. 2022 The article begins, A serial pervert has been terrorizing a Brooklyn neighborhood by repeatedly exposing himself to kids — but keeps getting cut loose thanks to New York’s lax bail reform laws . . . Swell. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2021 Infectious Diseases was a liar and pervert, the newspaper reported. Tiffini Theisen, orlandosentinel.com, 7 Sep. 2021 The story of the shifting, creative ways that shame and denial pervert our social arrangements cannot be told too many times. Christine Smallwood, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2021 Faxe the Foreteller centers an amazing scene, in a high hall, surrounded by eight other proleptic figures, two of them being quite insane and one a curious male pervert. Harold Bloom, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2020 The chief barged into the police interrogation room where the man, handcuffed to the floor, called him a pervert. New York Times, 17 Dec. 2019 See More
Verb
The major social-media and tech companies have already done their share to pervert civil discourse and shatter consensus and squelch reason, all to make a buck. Sam Lipsyte, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 Yet Cry Macho, though minor, confronts the craven politics that pervert parenthood and international responsibility — whether volatile, unresolved concerns at the U.S.—Mexico border or the hasty, humiliating Afghanistan evacuation. Armond White, National Review, 17 Sep. 2021 Its crowded stadium shots present us with the contemporary mystery of how masses of friendly people later convert into the opposition — the spirit of brotherhood that politics currently pervert. Kyle Smith, National Review, 6 Aug. 2021 Money can really inform and pervert our most intimate relationships, beyond just the employee-guest relationship at the hotel. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 18 July 2021 Most presidents won't pervert the conduct of their office the way Trump did. Star Tribune, 23 Jan. 2021 The Gettysburg gambit is just his latest attempt to appropriate American history and symbology and pervert it to suit his ends. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2020 But then Kaepernick’s message, as messages often do, became perverted into a debate that had nothing to do with his point. Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, 6 June 2020 McNeil isn’t oblivious to the dark side of lurking, the way certain corners of the internet study discourses to mimic, troll, or pervert them. Adrian Daub, The New Republic, 13 Apr. 2020 Noun
And at the other end of the spectrum, some people utilized the photo to underscore how Smith was a schemer and a pervert. The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 July 2022 Fighting with one another is weakening our pervert brand. David Marchese, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2022 Brandon is spiraling down the pervert drain to be eventually flushed out into the ocean of depravity. Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 15 Feb. 2022 The article begins, A serial pervert has been terrorizing a Brooklyn neighborhood by repeatedly exposing himself to kids — but keeps getting cut loose thanks to New York’s lax bail reform laws . . . Swell. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2021 Infectious Diseases was a liar and pervert, the newspaper reported. Tiffini Theisen, orlandosentinel.com, 7 Sep. 2021 The story of the shifting, creative ways that shame and denial pervert our social arrangements cannot be told too many times. Christine Smallwood, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2021 Faxe the Foreteller centers an amazing scene, in a high hall, surrounded by eight other proleptic figures, two of them being quite insane and one a curious male pervert. Harold Bloom, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2020 The chief barged into the police interrogation room where the man, handcuffed to the floor, called him a pervert. New York Times, 17 Dec. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French purvertir, pervertir, from Latin pervertere to overturn, corrupt, pervert, from per- thoroughly + vertere to turn — more at per-, worth
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1501, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing pervert
Medical Definition
pervert 1 of 2
transitive verb
per·vert pər-ˈvərt
: to cause to engage in perversion or to become perverted
pervert
2 of 2noun
per·vert ˈpər-ˌvərt
: one that has been perverted
specifically : one given to some form of sexual perversion
pervert 1 of 2
noun
as in degenerate
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard a pervert who, because of years of bad choices, couldn't get a job Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- degenerate
- villain
- perv
- playboy
- rake
- deviate
- rip
- libertine
- debaucher
- derelict
- backslider
- delinquent
- incorrigible
- reprobate
- scoundrel
- rakehell
- decadent
- cad
- blackguard
- profligate
- lecher
- heel
- knave
- debauchee
- satyr
- rogue
- bankrupt
- playgirl
- rascal
- miscreant
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- saint
pervert
2 of 2verb
1
as in to distort
to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of that summary really perverts the other candidate's views on taxes Synonyms & Similar Words
- distort
- misrepresent
- obscure
- twist
- misinterpret
- garble
- misstate
- slant
- censor
- falsify
- cook
- complicate
- confuse
- fudge
- misrelate
- warp
- mistake
- disguise
- color
- bend
- mistranslate
- mask
- camouflage
- misspeak
- lie
- dissemble
- whitewash
- mystify
- bowdlerize
- veil
- prevaricate
- confound
- misdescribe
- palter
- equivocate
- fib
- gloss (over)
- belie
- mix (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- interpret
- explain
- clarify
- illustrate
- clear (up)
- spell out
- illuminate
- decipher
2
as in to corrupt
to lower in character, dignity, or quality a movie that perverted the Bible story by reveling in the sinners' lewd behavior until just before the moment of divine retribution Synonyms & Similar Words
- corrupt
- subvert
- humiliate
- deprave
- debauch
- prostitute
- degrade
- disgrace
- debase
- bastardize
- poison
- ruin
- destroy
- weaken
- demean
- dilute
- deteriorate
- dirty
- damage
- profane
- shame
- canker
- taint
- abase
- pollute
- warp
- mar
- demoralize
- cheapen
- humble
- vitiate
- thin
- harm
- contaminate
- defile
- wreck
- dishonor
- water down
- impair
- lessen
- hurt
- flaw
- spoil
- stain
- tarnish
- befoul
- begrime
- deface
- blemish
- take down
- depreciate
- descend
- downgrade
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- exalt
- better
- improve
- honor
- perfect
- uplift
- elevate
- ennoble
- enhance
- amend
- dignify
- enrich
- restore
- clarify
- purify
- ameliorate
- clean
- respect
- cleanse
- refine
- meliorate
3
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
- abuse
- misuse
- prostitute
- profane
- misapply
- corrupt
- degrade
- twist
- debase
- misemploy
- desecrate
- mismanage
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- use
- employ
- apply
- utilize
- respect
Synonym Chooser
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
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
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
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
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
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
- catchers
- catchers-off
- catches
- catches at
- catches fire
- catches on
- catches on (to)
- catches on to
- catches one's breath
- catches one's eye
- catches out
- catches up
- catches up (with)
- catches up with
- catchflies
- catchfly
- catchfly grass
- catchier
- catchiest
- catchiness
- catchinesses
- catching
- catching at
- catching bargain
- catching fire