perversity means the quality of being perverse. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
perversity is pronounced /pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/.
Why “perversity” is a great word
PERVERSITY — [Noun] The quality or state of being willfully contrary, obstinate, or marked by a deliberate desire to behave in an unreasonable or unacceptable way. From Middle French perversité, from Latin perversitās, from perversus ("turned away, contrary, askew"). First attested in English in the early 15th century. Unlike "contrariness," which suggests a general disposition to oppose, or "wickedness," which denotes broad moral evil, perversity is the stubborn, twisted deviation from reason itself. It is the child who breaks his own toy rather than share it; the lover who spurns affection only when it is freely given; the act of biting down on a sore tooth just to feel the sting. It is the small, mad warmth of a self-inflicted wound.
noun
- The quality of being perverse.“Hey kids, the word of the week is "pupaphobia"! Others may enjoy being frightened by chainsaw-wielding maniacs and cannibal clowns, but my Halloween is never complete without a murderous Muppet or two. Thankfully, a pair of events last Friday the 13th provided a perfect double feature of puppet perversity.”
- Something which is perverse.“More generally, for the ULD property to hold, the substitution effects (which are always well behaved) must be large enough to overcome possible “perversities” coming from the wealth effects.”