Other forms: perversities
Perversity is a wilful determination to do the opposite of what is wanted. Sheer perversity, out of perversity, the perversity of it.
It is doing the wrong thing on purpose because it was asked for, which is what separates it from disagreement. It is also used of situations, where a perversity is an outcome that defeats its own aim.
1nounperversityA wilful determination to do the opposite of what is wanted.
“Out of sheer perversity, the child ate everything except what was on his plate.”
perversity is a stubbornness.
Latin perversitas comes from pervertere, to turn about, from per plus vertere, to turn.
Latin
perversitās
Middle French
perversité
English, today
perversity
From perverse + -ity, from Middle French perversité, from Latin perversitās.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA