Standard Lemma guide

pervert

noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpəː.vəːt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpəː.vət/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈpɚ.vɚt/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)və(ɹ)t
  • Received-Pronunciation: /pəˈvəːt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /pɚˈvɚt/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t
  • CMU ARPABET: P ER1 V ER0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P ER0 V ER1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who has been perverted; one who has turned to error, or adopted a twisted sense of values or morals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person whose sexual habits are not considered acceptable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Those perverts were trying to spy on us while we changed clothes!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perv

Antonyms: normophile

3

verb

Meaning 3

To turn another way; to divert.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: divert, steer, veer

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To corrupt; to cause to be untrue; corrupted or otherwise impure

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • How could stopping someone from killing himself or herself "pervert the course of justice"?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corrupt, lead astray, seduce

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To misapply, misuse, use for a nefarious purpose

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He has perverted his talents to dishonest gain.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misapply, misuse

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

to misinterpret designedly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • pervert one's words

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bias, distort, skew, twist

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To become perverted; to take the wrong course.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deviant, deviate, degenerate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reprobate, miscreant

Narrower terms: fetishist, masochist, nymphomaniac, nympho, pederast, paederast, child molester, pedophile, paedophile, sadist, sadomasochist, satyr, lecher, lech, letch, sodomite, sodomist, sod, bugger

9

verb

Meaning 9

change the inherent purpose or function of something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Don't abuse the system
  • The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misuse, abuse

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: use, expend

Narrower terms: fracture, take in vain

10

verb

Meaning 10

practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Don't twist my words

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: twist, twist around, convolute, sophisticate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: denote, refer

11

verb

Meaning 11

corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • debauch the young people with wine and women
  • Socrates was accused of corrupting young men
  • Do school counselors subvert young children?
  • corrupt the morals

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corrupt, subvert, demoralize, demoralise, debauch, debase, profane, vitiate, deprave, misdirect

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

Narrower terms: sensualize, sensualise, carnalize, carnalise, infect, lead off, lead astray, poison, bastardize, bastardise, suborn

History

Etymology

From Old French pervertir, itself from the Latin pervertō.

Across languages

Translations

119 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 墮落者 /堕落者 (duòluòzhě) — one who has turned to error
  • Czech: zvrhlík — one who has turned to error
  • Esperanto: perversulo — one who has turned to error
  • Esperanto: perversiulo — one who has turned to error
  • Esperanto: devojiĝanto — one who has turned to error
  • Finnish: pervertti — one who has turned to error
  • French: déviant — one who has turned to error
  • French: pervers — one who has turned to error
  • Japanese: 変質者 (henshitsusha) — one who has turned to error
  • Latin: perversus — one who has turned to error
  • Russian: дегенера́т (degenerát) — one who has turned to error
  • Arabic: مُنْحَرِف (munḥarif) — sexually perverted person
  • Arabic: مُنْحَرِفَة (munḥarifa) — sexually perverted person
  • Armenian: ուրացող (uracʻoġ) — sexually perverted person
  • Belarusian: вычварэ́нец (vyčvarénjec) — sexually perverted person
  • Bulgarian: извратеняк (izvratenjak) — sexually perverted person
  • Burmese: နှာဘူး (hnabhu:) — sexually perverted person
  • Cebuano: manyak — sexually perverted person
  • Chinese Mandarin: 性變態者 /性变态者 (xìngbiàntàizhě) — sexually perverted person
  • Chinese Mandarin: 色狼 (sèláng) — sexually perverted person
  • Czech: úchyl — sexually perverted person
  • Czech: deviant — sexually perverted person
  • Danish: perverst menneske — sexually perverted person
  • Dutch: perverseling — sexually perverted person
  • Esperanto: perversulo — sexually perverted person
  • Estonian: pervert — sexually perverted person
  • Finnish: pervertti — sexually perverted person
  • Finnish: pervo — sexually perverted person
  • French: pervers — sexually perverted person
  • Georgian: გარყვნილი (garq̇vnili) — sexually perverted person
  • German: Perversling — sexually perverted person
  • Greek: ανώμαλος (anómalos) — sexually perverted person
  • Hebrew: סוֹטֶה (sote) — sexually perverted person
  • Hindi: ठरकी (ṭharkī) — sexually perverted person
  • Hindi: कामुक (kāmuk) — sexually perverted person
  • Hindi: विकृत (vikŕt) — sexually perverted person
  • Hindi: अभद्र (abhadra) — sexually perverted person
  • Hindi: अशिष्ट (aśiṣṭ) — sexually perverted person
  • Hindi: हरामी (harāmī) — sexually perverted person
  • Icelandic: öfuguggi — sexually perverted person
  • Icelandic: pervert — sexually perverted person
  • Icelandic: perri — sexually perverted person
  • Indonesian: cabul — sexually perverted person
  • Indonesian: mesum — sexually perverted person
  • Italian: pervertito — sexually perverted person
  • Italian: pervertita — sexually perverted person
  • Japanese: 痴漢 (chikan) — sexually perverted person
  • Japanese: 性的倒錯者 (seitekitōsakusha) — sexually perverted person
  • Japanese: 変態 (hentai) — sexually perverted person
  • Korean: 변태 (byeontae) — sexually perverted person
  • Latin: obscēnus — sexually perverted person
  • Latin: obscēna — sexually perverted person
  • Lithuanian: iškrypėlis — sexually perverted person
  • Lithuanian: ištvirkėlis — sexually perverted person
  • Macedonian: изопа́ченик (izopáčenik) — sexually perverted person
  • Macedonian: пе́рверзник (pérverznik) — sexually perverted person
  • Marathi: कामुक (kāmuk) — sexually perverted person
  • Marathi: विकृत (vikŕt) — sexually perverted person
  • Marathi: हेकट (hekaṭ) — sexually perverted person
  • Marathi: अभद्र (abhadra) — sexually perverted person
  • Marathi: अशिष्ट (aśiṣṭa) — sexually perverted person
  • Odia: କାମୁକ (kāmuka) — sexually perverted person
  • Odia: ବିକୃତ (bikruta) — sexually perverted person
  • Odia: ଅଭଦ୍ର (abhadra) — sexually perverted person
  • Odia: ଅଶିଷ୍ଟ (aśiṣṭa) — sexually perverted person
  • Polish: zboczeniec — sexually perverted person
  • Polish: dewiant — sexually perverted person
  • Portuguese: pervertido — sexually perverted person
  • Portuguese: tarado — sexually perverted person
  • Punjabi: ਕਾਮੁਕ (kāmuk) — sexually perverted person
  • Punjabi: ਠਰਕੀ (ṭharkī) — sexually perverted person
  • Punjabi: ਹਰਾਮੀ (harāmī) — sexually perverted person
  • Russian: извраще́нец (izvraščénec) — sexually perverted person
  • Russian: перве́рт (pervért) — sexually perverted person
  • Russian: пе́рверт (pérvert) — sexually perverted person
  • Sanskrit: कामुक (kāmuka) — sexually perverted person
  • Sanskrit: विकृत (vikṛta) — sexually perverted person
  • Sanskrit: अभद्र (abhadra) — sexually perverted person
  • Sanskrit: अशिष्ट (aśiṣṭa) — sexually perverted person
  • Spanish: pervertido — sexually perverted person
  • Tagalog: bastos — sexually perverted person
  • Tagalog: manyak — sexually perverted person
  • Tagalog: manyakis — sexually perverted person
  • Turkish: sapık — sexually perverted person
  • Ukrainian: збо́ченець (zbóčenecʹ) — sexually perverted person
  • Welsh: gwyrdröwr — sexually perverted person
  • Bulgarian: отклонявам (otklonjavam) — to turn another way
  • Finnish: harhauttaa — to turn another way
  • Bulgarian: изопачавам (izopačavam) — to turn from truth
  • Finnish: johtaa harhaan — to turn from truth
  • Icelandic: spilla — to turn from truth
  • Māori: whakapeau — to turn from truth
  • Russian: извраща́ть (izvraščátʹ) — to turn from truth
  • Russian: изврати́ть (izvratítʹ) — to turn from truth
  • Swedish: förvanska — to turn from truth
  • Swedish: förvränga — to turn from truth
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — to turn from truth
  • Bulgarian: използвам неправилно (izpolzvam nepravilno) — to misuse
  • Czech: zneužít — to misuse
  • Icelandic: misnota — to misuse
  • Czech: překroutit — to misinterpret designedly
  • Finnish: vääristellä — to misinterpret designedly
  • Icelandic: rangfæra — to misinterpret designedly
  • Icelandic: rangsnúa — to misinterpret designedly
  • Icelandic: afbaka — to misinterpret designedly
  • Russian: извраща́ть (izvraščátʹ) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Russian: изврати́ть (izvratítʹ) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Swedish: förvränga — to misinterpret designedly
  • Swedish: förvanska — to misinterpret designedly
  • Ukrainian: спотво́рювати (spotvórjuvaty) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Ukrainian: спотво́рити (spotvóryty) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Ukrainian: перекру́чувати (perekrúčuvaty) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Ukrainian: перекрути́ти (perekrutýty) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Ukrainian: викривля́ти (vykryvljáty) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Ukrainian: ви́кривити (výkryvyty) — to misinterpret designedly
  • Bulgarian: извращавам (izvraštavam) — to take the wrong course
  • Czech: zvrhnout se — to take the wrong course
  • Finnish: harhautua — to take the wrong course
  • Polish: zboczyć — to take the wrong course