perversity
gb/pɚvˈɚsəti/ us/pɚvˈɚsəti/
C1
Inglês
Acepções
0 acepção
Substantivo
formal
C1
property
1
stubborn desire to be difficult
a desire to do the opposite of what is sensible, often to be difficult
Padrão de uso:
[do something] out of perversity
Erro comum:
Often confused with adversity (difficult times) or perversion (usually sexual meaning).
Sinônimos
contrariness (emphasizes doing the opposite of what others want.)
|
obstinacy (emphasizes stubborn refusal to change.)
|
wilfulness (emphasizes intentional, self-directed stubbornness.)
|
spite (emphasizes a wish to annoy or hurt.)
Antônimos
reasonableness (acting in a sensible, fair way.)
|
cooperativeness (willingness to work with others rather than oppose them.)
|
compliance (readiness to follow requests or rules.)
Colocações
sheer perversity
|out of perversity
|a streak of perversity
|an act of perversity
|human perversity
|wilful perversity
|perversity and spite
|perversity and stubbornness
|a touch of perversity
|perversity of refusing
Temas
behavior
|personality
|conflict
Exemplos
- He refused to answer the question, not out of principle but out of sheer perversity.
- There’s a certain perversity in banning something—it can make people want it more.
- Her perversity turned a simple request into an argument.
Exemplos para estudantes
- He did it out of perversity.
- Sometimes her perversity causes problems.
Substantivo
formal
C2
abstract
2
sexually deviant attitude or behavior
sexual behavior or interests that society strongly disapproves of
Padrão de uso:
sexual perversity; [someone]'s perversity
Erro comum:
In modern English, perversion is more common than perversity in this sexual sense.
Sinônimos
perversion (the most common noun for this idea; often more direct.)
|
deviance (broader term that can include non-sexual behavior too.)
Antônimos
conventionality (behavior aligned with common social norms.)
|
propriety (socially acceptable, respectable conduct.)
Colocações
sexual perversity
|moral perversity
|a tale of perversity
|accusations of perversity
|charge of perversity
|perversity and corruption
|a hint of perversity
|extreme perversity
|perversity and obsession
|depictions of perversity
Temas
relationships
|sex
|society
Exemplos
- The film was condemned by some critics for its portrayal of perversity.
- The memoir describes how shame and secrecy fed his sense of perversity.
- In the article, the word ‘perversity’ is used as a moral judgment rather than a clinical term.
Substantivo
legal
C2
abstract
3
unreasonable decision against evidence
in law, an extremely unreasonable decision
Padrão de uso:
a finding/decision/verdict of perversity; appeal on grounds of perversity
Sinônimos
unreasonableness (general term; not specifically a legal standard.)
|
irrationality (focuses on lack of logical basis.)
Antônimos
soundness (being well supported by reasons and evidence.)
|
fairness (being just and properly considered.)
Colocações
a verdict of perversity
|grounds of perversity
|appeal on perversity
|a finding of perversity
|perversity in the decision
|alleged perversity
|challenge for perversity
|set aside for perversity
|perversity of the tribunal
|perversity argument
Temas
law
|justice
Exemplos
- The appeal was brought on the ground of perversity in the tribunal’s reasoning.
- The court said there was no perversity in the jury’s verdict.
- They argued the decision showed perversity because it ignored key evidence.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
perversity
AFI
GB/pɚvˈɚsəti/
US/pɚvˈɚsəti/
Sílabas e tonicidade
per - versity (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (per)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: perversity
- Plural: perversities, perversity
Família de palavras
Forms
perversities
noun
Core family
perverse
adjective B2
perversely
adverb
Related words
pervert
verb
perversion
noun
Advanced or less common
perverseness
noun
Expressões
a streak of perversity
1/ə stɹˈik əv pɚvˈɚsəti/
fixed phrase
formal
habit of being stubbornly contrary
a part of someone’s character that likes to be difficult
Exemplos
- He has a streak of perversity that makes him argue over minor details.
- Her streak of perversity surfaced whenever she was told what to do.
- There was a streak of perversity in the way he kept missing deadlines on purpose.
out of sheer perversity
1/ˈaʊt əv ʃˈɪɹ pɚvˈɚsəti/
fixed phrase
formal
for no good reason; just contrary
just to be difficult, not for a real reason
Exemplos
- He picked a fight out of sheer perversity.
- She took the long way home out of sheer perversity, even though she was late.
- The committee rejected the sensible option out of sheer perversity.
the perversity of fate
1/ðə pɚvˈɚsəti əv fˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
literary
ironic, contrary turn of events
when fate seems to act in an unfair, opposite way
Exemplos
- By the perversity of fate, the power went out just as the storm ended.
- It was the perversity of fate that she met her future boss on the day she quit.
- Through the perversity of fate, the only copy was lost after the backup succeeded.