perverse
gb/pɚvˈɚs/ us/pɚvˈɚs/
B2
Англійська
~ 9700
Значення
0 значень
adjective
B2
property
1
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.
Модель уживання:
to describe [someone] as perverse for choosing [action]
Поширена помилка:
Learners often think 'perverse' is only about sex. In this very common sense, it usually means stubbornly doing the wrong or opposite thing on purpose. Another confusion is with 'perverted', which is more strongly sexual and often more offensive.
Синоніми
contrary (Suggests someone who often does the opposite of what is wanted; slightly softer and more everyday than 'perverse'.)
|
obstinate (Focuses on stubbornness rather than on the moral or social wrongness of the behavior.)
|
perverse (Base form; included only for structural completeness.)
Антоніми
reasonable (Suggests acting in a fair, sensible way rather than choosing clearly wrong or unhelpful behavior.)
|
cooperative (Highlights willingness to work with others instead of deliberately resisting or doing the opposite.)
Словосполучення
perverse decision
|perverse refusal
|perverse need
|perverse pride
|perverse satisfaction
|perverse streak
Теми
behaviour
|ethics
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
Приклади
- 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.
Навчальні приклади
- 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.
unknown
B2
property
2
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.
Модель уживання:
to describe [someone]'s perverse [pleasure/joy/curiosity/etc.] in [something]
Поширена помилка:
Learners sometimes use 'perverse' for any strong pleasure. It should be used when the pleasure is in something clearly wrong, harmful, or disturbing. For normal strong pleasure, words like 'great', 'huge', or 'deep' are more natural.
Синоніми
twisted (Informal; emphasizes that the enjoyment is morally warped or disturbing.)
|
warped (Suggests a damaged or abnormal way of thinking about what is enjoyable.)
|
morbid (Often used when someone is overly interested in death, suffering, or dark subjects.)
Антоніми
wholesome (Emphasizes healthy, morally positive enjoyment as the opposite of taking pleasure in disturbing things.)
|
kind-hearted (Focuses on caring about others' feelings rather than enjoying their pain or discomfort.)
Словосполучення
perverse pleasure
|perverse joy
|perverse delight
|perverse curiosity
|perverse fascination
|perverse sense of humor
Теми
emotions
|ethics
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Приклади
- 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.
Навчальні приклади
- 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.
adjective
C1
property
3
sexually abnormal or morally wrong
Having sexual interests or actions that many people see as very strange, wrong, or unhealthy.
Модель уживання:
to describe [sexual behaviour/interest] as perverse
Поширена помилка:
Learners sometimes use 'perverse' when they only mean 'sexy' or 'romantic'. This sense is strongly negative and often describes behavior that is illegal or seriously wrong. For neutral talk about sex, avoid 'perverse' and use more neutral words like 'sexual' or 'intimate'.
Синоніми
perverted (More common and more strongly negative for sexual behavior specifically.)
|
deviant (Often formal or technical; describes sexual behavior that differs from social norms.)
|
kinky (Informal; can be neutral or playful in some contexts, less strongly negative than 'perverse'.)
Антоніми
conventional (Suggests sexual behavior that follows common social norms.)
|
vanilla (Informal; refers to very standard, simple sexual behavior, without unusual practices.)
Словосполучення
perverse fantasies
|perverse desires
|perverse sexual behaviour
|perverse obsession
|perverse interest in minors
Теми
sex
|ethics
|relationships
|health
Приклади
- 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.
Навчальні приклади
- 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.
adjective
formal
C1
property
4
having the opposite intended effect
Describing something, like a rule or reward, that makes people do the opposite of what was wanted.
Модель уживання:
to describe a [policy/effect/incentive/outcome] as perverse
Поширена помилка:
Learners sometimes think 'perverse' here means 'sexual' or 'morally bad'. In this formal sense it means that the result goes against the goal. Words like 'counterproductive' or 'self-defeating' can often replace it.
Синоніми
counterproductive (Stresses that something actively works against the goal instead of helping it.)
|
self-defeating (Highlights that the action harms the very aim it was meant to support.)
Антоніми
effective (Describes something that successfully brings about the intended result.)
|
beneficial (Focuses on positive, helpful results instead of harmful or opposite ones.)
Словосполучення
perverse incentive
|perverse effect
|perverse outcome
|perverse result
|perverse consequence
|perverse impact
Теми
economics
|politics
|business
|core_vocabulary
Приклади
- 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.
Навчальні приклади
- 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.
adjective
formal
C2
property
5
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.
Модель уживання:
to describe a [verdict/decision/judgment] as perverse
Поширена помилка:
Learners may try to use this legal sense in everyday speech. In normal conversation, simply say a decision is 'unfair' or 'doesn't make sense'. The technical legal use of 'perverse' is mainly for formal writing or court language.
Синоніми
unreasonable (General term; in legal language it can mean not based on good reasons or evidence.)
|
perverse (This legal sense is more technical, implying a very serious level of unreasonableness.)
Антоніми
well-founded (Emphasizes that a decision is properly based on evidence and sound reasoning.)
|
sound (Describes a decision as sensible, logical, and supported by the facts.)
Словосполучення
perverse verdict
|perverse decision
|perverse judgment
|perverse finding
|legally perverse
|wholly perverse
Теми
law
|formal_writing
Приклади
- 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.
Навчальні приклади
- 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.
Граматика
Словникова форма
perverse
IPA
GB/pɚvˈɚs/
US/pɚvˈɚs/
Склади й наголос
per - verse (2 склади)
Stress on 1st syllable (per)
Форми слова
Adjective
- Base: perverse
Споріднені слова
Core family
perversely
adverb
perversity
noun C1
Related words
pervert
verb
perversion
noun
Вирази
perverse decision
4/pɚvˈɚs dɪsˈɪʒən/
fixed phrase
formal
clearly unreasonable or wrong decision
A decision that seems very unreasonable and goes against good reasons or clear facts.
Приклади
- 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
3/pɚvˈɚs ɪfˈɛkt/
fixed phrase
formal
effect opposite to the intention
An effect that works against the goal instead of helping it.
Приклади
- 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
1/pɚvˈɚs ɪnsˈɛntɪv/
fixed phrase
formal
incentive 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.
Приклади
- 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
2/pɚvˈɚs ˈaʊtkˌʌm/
fixed phrase
formal
result opposite to what was intended
A result that is the exact opposite of what people wanted or planned.
Приклади
- 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
6/pɚvˈɚs plˈɛʒɚ/
fixed phrase
enjoyment 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.
Приклади
- 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
7/pɚvˈɚs sˈɛns əv hjˈumɚ/
fixed phrase
finding 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.
Приклади
- 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
5/pɚvˈɚs vˈɚdɪkt/
fixed phrase
formal
legal verdict against clear evidence
A court decision that is clearly wrong because it does not follow the facts shown in the trial.
Приклади
- 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.