¹pervert

verb per·vert \pər-ˈvərt\

: to change (something good) so that it is no longer what it was or should be

: to cause (a person or a person's mind) to become immoral or not normal

Full Definition of PERVERT

transitive verb

a : to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : corrupt

b : to cause to turn aside or away from what is generally done or accepted : misdirect

a : to divert to a wrong end or purpose : misuse

b : to twist the meaning or sense of : misinterpret

— per·vert·er noun

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Origin of PERVERT

Middle English, from Anglo-French purvertir, pervertir, from Latin pervertere to overturn, corrupt, pervert, from per- thoroughly + vertere to turn — more at per-, worth

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PERVERT

Synonyms: bend, color, cook, distort, falsify, fudge, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent, misstate, garble, slant, twist, warp

Antonyms: elevate, ennoble, uplift

Synonym Discussion of PERVERT

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character. debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity <commercialism has debased the holiday>. vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect <a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship>. deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences <the claim that society is depraved by pornography>. corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity <the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language>. debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence <the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew>. pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal <perverted the original goals of the institute>.