Perversity is a noun for deliberatelydone on purpose, not by accident behaving in a way that is bad, harmful, or stubbornlyin a fixed and unwilling way against what is reasonablefair, sensible, and based on good judgment or expected.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /pər-VER-si-tee/
Easy pronunciation: per-VUR-si-tee (approximate spelling).
Stress: Primary stress is on the second syllable.
Noun meaning deliberate badness or twisted behavior.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Perversity Meaning
deliberate badness or twisted behavior
Part of speech: noun
Definition: deliberately deviating from what is good
Example: There was a kind of perversity in enjoying other people’s misery.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- perverseness — A direct synonym for this sense of deliberate moral or behavioral wrongness.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Perversity
Meaning 2
stubborn refusal to cooperate or follow direction
Part of speech: noun
Definition: deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline
Example: The child’s perversity made every simple request a battle.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- contrariness — Works well for stubborn resistance or always going against what is asked.
- perverseness — Can also fit this sense, though it is a little more formal and overlaps with sense 1.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Perversity Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- perverseness
stubborn unruliness or resistance to guidance
- contrariness
- perverseness
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Don’t confuse perversity with simply being playful, quirky, or unconventional.
- It is usually negative and suggests stubborn or harmful opposition, not harmless difference of opinion.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does perversity mean?
Perversity means deliberately behaving in a bad, unreasonable, or stubbornly uncooperative way.
What is a simple synonym for perversity?
A simple synonym is perverseness. In the sense of stubborn resistance, contrariness can also fit.
Is perversity always a bad word?
Yes, it is usually negative. It suggests someone is acting against what is good, sensible, or expected.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.