perverse
deliberately acting unreasonably or wrongly
Wanting to do the wrong or unhelpful thing on purpose, especially when other people clearly expect or ask you to do something else.
to describe [someone] as perverse for choosing [action]
- By some perverse logic, he refused the help he clearly needed.
- She took a perverse pride in breaking every rule the company set.
- In a perverse move, the council cut funding to the most successful program.
- He has a perverse streak that makes him say no just because others say yes.
- It seems perverse to ignore all the evidence just to prove a point.
- He was being perverse and did the exact opposite of what they asked.
- She made a perverse choice and picked the worst option on purpose.
- The child was perverse and refused to eat, even though he was hungry.
- It feels perverse to work against your own team.
- He has a perverse wish to do things the hard way.
finding wrong or cruel things enjoyable
Liking or enjoying things that are clearly bad, cruel, or wrong, in a way most people find strange or upsetting.
to describe [someone]'s perverse [pleasure/joy/curiosity/etc.] in [something]
- He felt a perverse pleasure in proving everyone else wrong.
- There is a perverse fascination with disasters in the media.
- She took perverse delight in describing the gory details.
- I have a perverse curiosity about how badly this could go.
- The film explores our perverse enjoyment of other people's misfortune.
- She felt a perverse pleasure when her rude boss failed.
- He has a perverse interest in very dark stories.
- They watched the fight with perverse curiosity.
- He laughed with a perverse joy at the bad news.
- I get a perverse satisfaction from finishing very hard tasks.
sexually abnormal or morally wrong
Having sexual interests or actions that many people see as very strange, wrong, or unhealthy.
to describe [sexual behaviour/interest] as perverse
- The novel was criticized for its perverse sexual themes.
- He developed a perverse obsession with watching people without their consent.
- The court heard disturbing details of his perverse desires.
- They accused the site of promoting perverse sexual behavior.
- The article explored how certain perverse fantasies can lead to crime.
- The film was banned because of its perverse sexual content.
- She left him after learning about his perverse interests.
- The police found messages about perverse acts with children.
- Many people think those images are perverse and harmful.
- The story shows the dangers of perverse sexual behavior.
having the opposite intended effect
Describing something, like a rule or reward, that makes people do the opposite of what was wanted.
to describe a [policy/effect/incentive/outcome] as perverse
- The tax system creates a perverse incentive to avoid full-time work.
- Subsidizing fossil fuels has the perverse effect of increasing pollution.
- This rule has produced a perverse outcome: fewer people are now following it.
- The bonuses set up a perverse incentive to take excessive risks.
- Aid that is badly designed can have perverse consequences for local communities.
- The new law has a perverse effect and makes housing more expensive.
- This bonus is a perverse incentive because it rewards failure.
- Their plan had a perverse outcome: sales went down, not up.
- Cutting staff created a perverse result and slowed the work.
- The rule gives students a perverse reason to skip class.
unreasonable and against evidence (legal)
Used in law to say that a decision or result is very unreasonable and does not follow the facts or the rules.
to describe a [verdict/decision/judgment] as perverse
- The appeal court held that the jury's verdict was perverse and could not stand.
- The judge described the decision as perverse in light of the clear evidence.
- They argued that the tribunal had reached a perverse conclusion.
- On review, the ruling was found to be legally perverse and was overturned.
- The company claimed that the regulator's findings were irrational and perverse.
- The lawyer said the verdict was perverse and unfair.
- The court changed the perverse decision on appeal.
- They argued that the first ruling was perverse and ignored the facts.
- A perverse judgment can be canceled by a higher court.
- The report called the punishment harsh and perverse.
- Base: perverse
perverse decision
4clearly unreasonable or wrong decision
A decision that seems very unreasonable and goes against good reasons or clear facts.
- Many staff felt it was a perverse decision to close the most successful branch.
- Critics called the ruling a perverse decision that ignored the scientific evidence.
perverse effect
3effect opposite to the intention
An effect that works against the goal instead of helping it.
- The warning labels had the perverse effect of making the product more attractive to teenagers.
- These fines can have a perverse effect by pushing poor families into deeper debt.
perverse incentive
1incentive that encourages the wrong behaviour
A reward, rule, or system that makes people behave in the opposite way from what the person who created it wanted.
- Paying doctors only for the number of procedures they do can create a perverse incentive to overtreat patients.
- The bonus scheme turned out to be a perverse incentive, encouraging staff to cheat on their numbers.
perverse outcome
2result opposite to what was intended
A result that is the exact opposite of what people wanted or planned.
- The policy had the perverse outcome of increasing the very crime it aimed to reduce.
- Cutting public transport produced a perverse outcome: more traffic on the roads.
perverse pleasure
6enjoyment of something wrong or cruel
A strange kind of enjoyment you feel when something bad, wrong, or unkind happens, especially when you know you should not enjoy it.
- She took a perverse pleasure in watching the arrogant team lose.
- I felt a perverse pleasure in deleting all of his rude messages.
perverse sense of humor
7finding dark or cruel things funny
Liking jokes or funny things that are very dark, cruel, or wrong, which many other people would not find funny.
- He has a perverse sense of humor and laughs at jokes about disasters.
- Her perverse sense of humor makes even serious problems sound funny.
perverse verdict
5legal verdict against clear evidence
A court decision that is clearly wrong because it does not follow the facts shown in the trial.
- The appeal court described the jury's ruling as a perverse verdict.
- Campaigners argued that the perverse verdict showed deep problems in the justice system.