Perverted — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /pər-ˈvər-təd/ per·vert·ed

Meaning & Definition of Perverted

Perverted (adjective)

  1. corrupt
  2. marked by perversion

Perverted (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or showing lowered moral character or standards

    "the perverted values of a society that had taken permissiveness to the extreme"

    similar: corrupt, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, dissipated, dissolute, jackleg, libertine, loose, perverse, rakehell, rakish, reprobate, sick, unclean, unwholesome, warped
    related: bent (chiefly British), crooked, cutthroat, dishonest, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, contaminated, spoiled, tainted, bad, evil, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, nefarious, sinful, vicious, wicked
    opposite: pure, uncorrupt, uncorrupted
    near: incorruptible, ethical, honest, principled, good, moral, righteous, virtuous

Perverted (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: bent, colored, cooked, distorted, falsified, fudged, garbled, misinterpreted, misrelated, misrepresented, misstated, slanted, twisted, warped
    related: misdescribed, misspoke, mistranslated, belied, camouflaged, disguised, dissembled, glossed (over), masked, veiled, whitewashed, bowdlerized, censored, complicated, confounded, confused, mistook, mixed (up), mystified, obscured, equivocated, fibbed, lied, paltered, prevaricated
    near: clarified, cleared (up), explained, illuminated, illustrated, interpreted, spelled out, deciphered

  2. 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"

    similar: abased, bastardized, cankered, cheapened, corrupted, debased, debauched, degraded, demeaned, demoralized, depraved, deteriorated, lessened, poisoned, profaned, prostituted, subverted, vitiated, warped
    related: befouled, begrimed, contaminated, defiled, diluted, dirtied, polluted, tainted, thinned, watered down, weakened, descended, disgraced, dishonored, humbled, humiliated, shamed, took down, blemished, damaged, defaced, destroyed, flawed, harmed, hurt, impaired, marred, ruined, spoiled, stained, tarnished, wrecked, depreciated, downgraded
    opposite: elevated, ennobled, uplifted
    near: dignified, exalted, honored, ameliorated, amended, bettered, enhanced, enriched, improved, meliorated, perfected, clarified, cleaned, cleansed, purified, refined, restored, respected

  3. to put to a bad or improper use

    "accused of perverting the Internal Revenue Service by using it to harass political opponents"

    similar: abused, misapplied, misemployed, misused, profaned, prostituted
    related: degraded, twisted, mismanaged, corrupted, debased, desecrated
    near: applied, employed, used, utilized, respected

Related Entry: Pervert (verb)

Pervert is a different word from Perverted. The synonyms below are for pervert, not for perverted.

  1. 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"

    similar: bend, color, cook, distort, falsify, fudge, garble, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent, misstate, slant, twist, warp
    related: misdescribe, misspeak, mistranslate, belie, camouflage, disguise, dissemble, gloss (over), mask, veil, whitewash, bowdlerize, censor, complicate, confound, confuse, mistake, mix (up), mystify, obscure, equivocate, fib, lie, palter, prevaricate
    near: clarify, clear (up), explain, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, spell out, decipher

  2. 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"

    similar: abase, bastardize, canker, cheapen, corrupt, debase, debauch, degrade, demean, demoralize, deprave, deteriorate, lessen, poison, profane, prostitute, subvert, vitiate, warp
    related: befoul, begrime, contaminate, defile, dilute, dirty, pollute, taint, thin, water down, weaken, descend, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, shame, take down, blemish, damage, deface, destroy, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, mar, ruin, spoil, stain, tarnish, wreck, depreciate, downgrade
    opposite: elevate, ennoble, uplift
    near: dignify, exalt, honor, ameliorate, amend, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, clarify, clean, cleanse, purify, refine, restore, respect

  3. to put to a bad or improper use

    "accused of perverting the Internal Revenue Service by using it to harass political opponents"

    similar: abuse, misapply, misemploy, misuse, profane, prostitute
    related: degrade, twist, mismanage, corrupt, debase, desecrate
    near: apply, employ, use, utilize, respect

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Perverted

The most common words with a similar meaning to Perverted:

corrupt, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, dissipated, dissolute, jackleg, libertine, loose, perverse, rakehell, rakish, reprobate, sick, unclean, unwholesome, warped, bent, colored, cooked, distorted, falsified, fudged, garbled, misinterpreted, misrelated, misrepresented, misstated, slanted, twisted, abased, bastardized, cankered, cheapened, corrupted, demeaned

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Perverted

Words with the opposite meaning of Perverted:

pure, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, elevated, ennobled, uplifted

Related Words for Perverted

crooked, cutthroat, dishonest, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, contaminated, spoiled, tainted, bad, evil, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, nefarious, sinful, vicious, wicked, misdescribed, misspoke, mistranslated, belied, camouflaged, disguised, dissembled, glossed (over), masked, veiled, whitewashed, bowdlerized

Near Antonyms of Perverted

incorruptible, ethical, honest, principled, good, moral, righteous, virtuous, clarified, cleared (up), explained, illuminated, illustrated, interpreted, spelled out, deciphered, dignified, exalted, honored, ameliorated, amended, bettered, enhanced, enriched, improved, meliorated, perfected, cleaned, cleansed, purified

Word Forms of Perverted

Derived words: pervertedly (adverb), pervertedness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Perverted

First known use: 14th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Perverted

What does "Perverted" mean?

"Perverted" means corrupt. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: corrupt. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Perverted"?

Other words for "Perverted" include corrupt, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized and depraved. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Perverted" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Perverted"?

There are 127 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Perverted". Common alternatives include corrupt, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, dissipated and dissolute.

What is the opposite of "Perverted"?

Antonyms of "Perverted" include pure, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, elevated, ennobled and uplifted. Near antonyms include incorruptible, ethical, honest and principled.

How do you use "Perverted" in a sentence?

Examples of "Perverted" in a sentence: "the perverted values of a society that had taken permissiveness to the extreme"; "that summary really perverts the other candidate's views on taxes"; "a movie that perverted the Bible story by reveling in the sinners' lewd behavior until just before the moment of divine retribution".

Is "Perverted" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Perverted" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Perverted"?

"Perverted" is pronounced /pər-ˈvər-təd/ and divided into syllables as per·vert·ed.

What is the origin of the word "Perverted"?

First known use: 14th century.