I just bet you were thinking something perverse just now.
Source: tatoeba (329052)
Perverse
/pɚˈvɝs/
Synonyms for "perverse" (267 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (54)
aberrantabroadadamantadriftadversaryadversativeadverseadversivealienall abroadall offall wrongamissantagonisticantiantipatheticantitheticantitheticalantonymousaskew
Show 32 more words
astrayat cross purposesat cross-purposesat faultaverseawkwardawrybadbad-temperedbalancingbalkybearishbentbeside the markbiliousbitchybreakawaybulkybullheadedcankeredcantankerouscaptiouscavilingchurlishclashingclumsycompensatingcompetitiveconconflictingconfrontingcontention
Strong matches (80)
contentiouscontradictingcontradictorycontradistinctcontrapositivecontrariouscontrarycontrastedcontumaciousconversecorruptcountercounteractantcounteractingcounteractivecounterbalancingcounterpoisedcountervailingcounterworkingcrabbed
Show 53 more words
crabbycrankycrookedcrosscross grainedcross-grainedcrosswisecrotchetycrustycumbersomecusseddead againstdeafdeceptivedefectivedegeneratedelusivedepraveddeviantdeviationaldeviativedifficultdisaccordantdisagreeablediscordantdiscrepantdisobedientdissentientdissidentdistortedenemyerranterringerroneousexcitableeyeball to eyeballfallaciousfalsefaultfulfaultyfeistyflagitiousflawedfractiousfretfulfrowardgnominiousgrouchyheadstronghereticalheterodoxhostilehuffish
Adjective(4 words)
Related words (133)
huffyhulkinghulkyill-temperedillogicalillusoryimpiousimpracticalimproperimprudentinconsistentinconvenientincorrectinfamousinflexibleinimicalinsubordinateintractableinverseirascible
Show 96 more words
irregularirritablemeanmiscreantmulishnaughtynefariousnegativenonconformistnoncooperativenot rightnot trueobdurateobstinateobstreperousobverseoffoff the trackopponentopposedopposingoppositeoppositionaloppositiveoppugnantorneryoutoverthwartpeccantpeevishpertinaciouspervertedpetulantpigheadedponderousputridquarrelsomequerulousreactionaryrecalcitrantrefractoryrenitentrepugnantresistantrestivereverserevolutionaryrivalrottensadisticsatanicself-contradictoryself-willedsnappishspitefulspleenyspleneticsquared offstiff-neckedstrayingstubbornstuffysulkysullensurlytestytouchyuglyunbendinguncooperativeunfactualunfairunfavorableunfriendlyunhandyunhealthyunmanageableunnaturalunorthodoxunpliableunpropitiousunprovedunreasonableunrulyuntrueunwieldyunyieldingviciousvillainouswantonwaspishwaywardwidewillfulwrongwrongheaded
Adjective(9 words)
Adjective(8 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: contrary, obstinate, aberrant, abroad, adamant.
- Sentence evidence is available for perverse, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "perverse".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "perverse"
Keep "perverse" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "perverse" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "perverse", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "perverse" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesMore specific
8 entriesCollocations
5 entriesperverse effectperverse incentiveperverse logicperverse motiveperverse outcome
Inflections
2 entriesmore perversemost perverse
Derivations
2 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
42 translations across 21 languages.
Bulgarian
4 entries- вироглав adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- извратен adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- опърничав adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- перверзен adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Crimean Tatar
1 entries- akis adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Czech
1 entries- perverzní adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Danish
1 entries- pervers adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Esperanto
1 entries- perversa adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Finnish
4 entries- jääräpäinen adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- kieroutunut adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- perverssi adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- uppiniskainen adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
French
1 entries- pervers adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
German
4 entries- abartig adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- pervers adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- pervers adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- widernatürlich adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
Haitian Creole
1 entries- pèvès adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Hungarian
1 entries- perverz adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Japanese
3 entries- 天邪鬼 adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- 意地悪 adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- 旋毛曲がり adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
Macedonian
4 entries- изо́пачен adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- на́стран adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- пе́рверзен adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- проти́вречен adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
Māori
3 entries- hōkeke adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- korokē adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
- kōrori adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
Old English
2 entries- afulīċ adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- ġedwolen adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Ottoman Turkish
2 entries- آزغین adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- اكری adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Persian
1 entries- بلاده adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Romanian
1 entries- pervers adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Russian
2 entries- извращённый adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- противоречащий adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- perverzan adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Spanish
2 entries- perverso adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
- protervo adj (Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary)
Turkish
1 entries- sapık adj (Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the (morally) right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted)
Sample sentences
21 total sentences available.
Don't be so perverse!
Source: tatoeba (1363387)
Tom is perverse.
Source: tatoeba (2236814)
Don't think I'm perverse, but I've seen several condoms in her purse.
Source: tatoeba (2759020)
Showing 4 of 21 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "perverse"?
Closest matches include contrary, obstinate, aberrant, abroad, adamant.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "perverse"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.