Perversity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/

Definitions

1. A quality marked by a consistent inclination to act in illogical, morally questionable, or socially defiant ways
2. An inclination to engage in behavior that is contrary to accepted norms, characterized by a tendency towards moral ambiguity or unreasonable defiance
3. The tendency to willfully act against reason, morality, or social standards

Etymology: The adjective "perverse" came first, and it carried a sense of turning something the wrong way. Its ancestor is Latin "pervertere," meaning to overturn or turn askew, built from "per" (through, thoroughly) and "vertere" (to turn). The noun grew from that adjective by adding the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality, so "perversity" names the condition of being perverse. The route into English ran through Middle French "perversité," which itself came from Latin "perversitās." English took the noun over from French, so the word arrived as a ready-made abstract noun rather than being assembled from scratch in English. Its sense of stubborn contrariness, wilfully going against what is sensible or expected, follows directly from the Latin idea of things turned the wrong way.

Synonyms: wickedness, depravity

Antonyms: virtue, goodness