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Adverse vs. Averse
Many people find themselves confused when faced with the choice between adverse and averse. While these two adjectives have many similarities, they are not used interchangeably.
If you want to describe a negative reaction to something (such as a harmful side effect from medication) or dangerous meteorological conditions (such as a snowstorm), adverse is the correct choice; you would not say that you had an averse reaction to medication or that there was averse weather.
Averse is most commonly followed by the preposition to (as in "she is averse to shellfish"), but not in every case; you can, for example, describe someone as “risk averse." Normally, averse to signifies a degree of dislike and avoidance, but when preceded by the word not (as in “he was not averse to having another drink”), it may be used as a pointedly understated way to express an interest in something.
In short, adverse tends to be used to describe effects, conditions, and results; while averse refers to feelings and inclinations.
Examples of adverse in a Sentence
Lawyers Weekly USA, 4 Oct. 1999
On more than one occasion his decrees provoked riots, and there were those who voiced adverse opinions on the Duke in public.
—Alison Weir, The Princes in the Tower, 1992
The plant tolerates adverse conditions …
—Dave Dunn, Fine Gardening, January/February 1991
all the adverse publicity really caused the movie star's popularity to suffer
the adverse effects of the drug are too severe to allow it to be marketed
Anthony Vaccaro, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2025
But Tylenol, coffee, tea and some candy helped alleviate the adverse side effects.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Talk to your anesthesiologist about the use of any dietary or herbal supplements to determine potential adverse drug interactions.
—Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 28 Oct. 2025
Bensoussan and collaborators found that even small hormonal fluctuations can disrupt any of these elements, producing an adverse effect on vocal function.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adverse
Cite this Entry
“Adverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adverse. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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