Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To cause to turn away from what is right, proper, or good; debase.
- transitive verb To corrupt (someone) morally. synonym: corrupt.
- transitive verb To interpret incorrectly; misconstrue or distort.
- noun One who practices sexual perversion.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who has turned aside from the right way; one who has apostatized or turned to error. Compare
'vert . - noun Synonyms Neophyte, Proselyte, etc. See
convert . - To turn aside; turn another way; avert.
- To turn from truth, from propriety, or from its proper purpose; distort from its use or end; misinterpret wilfully.
- To turn from right opinions or right conduct; corrupt.
- To perform the geometrical operation of perversion upon (any figure).
- To turn aside from the right course, way, etc.; take a wrong course; become corrupt or corrupted.
- To become a pervert or turncoat.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who has been perverted; one who has turned to error, especially in religion; -- opposed to
convert . See the Synonym ofconvert . - transitive verb obsolete To turnanother way; to divert.
- transitive verb To turn from truth, rectitude, or propriety; to divert from a right use, end, or way; to lead astray; to corrupt; also, to misapply; to misinterpret designedly.
- intransitive verb rare To become perverted; to take the wrong course.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun dated One who has been perverted; one who has turned to
error ; one who has turned to atwisted sense ofvalues ormorals . - noun A sexually perverted person.
- verb transitive To turn another way; to divert.
- verb transitive To turn from truth, rectitude, or propriety; to divert from a right use, end, or way; to lead astray; to corrupt
- verb To misapply; to misinterpret designedly.
- verb intransitive To become perverted; to take the wrong course.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb change the inherent purpose or function of something
- verb corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
- verb practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive
- noun a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Oxford, and then became what we call a pervert, and what I suppose they call a convert.
The Way We Live Now 2004
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He took his degree at Oxford, and then became what we call a pervert, and what I suppose they call a convert.
The Way We Live Now Anthony Trollope 1848
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At some point, probably in the 1980s, the "power-elite of the media" decided that it was no longer appropriate to use the word "pervert" to describe homosexuals.
Forbes.com: News Timothy B. Lee 2011
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; "Part of me thinks this disgusting pervert is the best thing that ever happened to me."
My Report report 2009
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(Thinking he might be a repressed zealot or a pervert is optional.) Arthur Kirkland (Quote)
The Volokh Conspiracy » Third Circuit Upholds Injunction of Threatened “Sexting” Prosecution 2010
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JJ proves that not every minister/politicial/sex pervert is a Republican ladybug in CA
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COme on Smidge the pervert is on the other side of people.
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Doesn't some of the protectors (WEA) wanna know what that pervert is thinking about when he has to disipline a teenage girl.
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Accept the fact that this pervert is one of your own and move on.
Sound Politics: Well-known GOP activist Bi-partisan government insider held in sex-predator sting 2006
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Well, OK, strictly speaking, I am a freakin pervert, if you listen to the Moral Moronity, but on a scale of 1 to 10, honestly, I hardly rate.
Archive 2004-09-01 Hal Duncan 2004
garyth123 commented on the word pervert
In Scotland, a man who is more interested in women than in drinking, according to Billy Connolly.
March 10, 2009