perverseness
/pə'və:siti/ Cách viết khác : (perverseness) /pə'və:snis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The quality or state of being perverse; deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in an unreasonable or unacceptable way, often contrary to what is expected or desired. It refers to a stubborn inclination to go against what is right, reasonable, or normal.
- Contrariness; the trait of being difficult to handle or overcome. It implies a willful resistance to guidance, discipline, or correction.
Usage
- Perverseness is used to describe a person's character or a specific instance of stubborn, contrary behavior. It often carries a negative connotation, suggesting irrationality or a deliberate choice to be difficult.
- It is a formal or literary term, more common in written analysis than in everyday conversation.
Examples
- The child's perverseness was evident when he refused to wear a coat in the freezing rain, simply because he was told to.
- She was frustrated by the sheer perverseness of the bureaucracy, which seemed designed to obstruct rather than help.
- His argument was not based on logic but on pure perverseness, a desire to contradict everyone in the room.
Advanced Usage
- "Through sheer perverseness...": This phrase is used to emphasize that an action is done for no other reason than stubborn contrariness.
- Through sheer perverseness, he voted against the proposal he had originally suggested.
Variants and Related Words
- Perversity (n): Often used interchangeably with , meaning the same quality of being perverse. (e.g., )
- Perverse (adj): Describing a person or action that shows perverseness. (e.g., )
- Contrariness (n): A close synonym, emphasizing a disposition to oppose or resist.
- Obstinacy (n): Stubbornness, but not necessarily with the connotation of deliberate deviation from what is good or reasonable.
Synonyms
- Contrariness: A tendency to oppose or resist.
- Willfulness: Deliberate, stubborn determination.
- Obduracy: Stubborn refusal to change one's opinion or course of action.
- Intransigence: Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.
Antonyms
- Compliance: The action or fact of complying with a wish or command.
- Amenability: Willingness to cooperate or be persuaded.
- Reasonableness: The quality of being based on good sense.
Idioms and Phrases
- "To do something out of perverseness": To do something specifically because it is contrary or unreasonable.
- He quit his job out of perverseness, just when he was due for a promotion.
- "A streak of perverseness": A persistent trait of being contrary in someone's character.
- For all his charm, he had a streak of perverseness that could be infuriating.
Noun
- deliberately deviating from what is good
- there will always be a few people who, through macho perversity, gain satisfaction from bullying and terrorism
- deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline