aversion

aver·sion

noun \ə-ˈvər-zhən, -shən\

Definition of AVERSION

1

obsolete : the act of turning away

2

a : a feeling of repugnance toward something with a desire to avoid or turn from it <regards drunkenness with aversion>

b : a settled dislike : antipathy <expressed an aversion to parties>

c : a tendency to extinguish a behavior or to avoid a thing or situation and especially a usually pleasurable one because it is or has been associated with a noxious stimulus

3

: an object of aversion <inconstancy is my aversion — Jane Austen>

Examples of AVERSION

1. They regarded war with aversion.
2. <I simply have this ingrained aversion to the sight of bloodshed.>
3. Diners who want to reduce the size of their environmental footprint might reassess their aversion to bugs, DeFoliart says. —Janet Raloff, Science News, 7 June 2008
4. A 16-year Monitor veteran with no previous combat experience, Tyson said she has yet to start reading newspapers on a regular basis because of her aversion to war news and does not like talking about it yet. —Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher, 21 Apr. 2003
5. The answer was revealing in many ways. It showed his dark humor, aversion to sentimentality, keen understanding of the role that realism must play in a messy world, and somewhat less keen appreciation for the role that morality plays in sustaining a democracy's foreign policy. —Walter Isaacson, New Republic, 16 Dec. 2002

Origin of AVERSION

(see averse)

First Known Use: 1596

Related to AVERSION

Synonyms

disgust, distaste, horror, loathing, nausea, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion

Antonyms

appetite, favor, fondness, like, liking, partiality, preference, relish, shine, taste, use

Related Words

abhorrence, abomination, antipathy, execration, hate, hatred; allergy, averseness, disapproval, disfavor, disinclination, dislike, disliking, displeasure

Near Antonyms

appetite, bent, fancy, favor, fondness, like, liking, love, partiality, penchant, predilection, preference, propensity, relish, shine, taste, use

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with AVERSION

aspersion, coercion, conversion, dispersion, diversion, emersion, eversion, excursion, immersion, incursion, inversion, perversion, recursion, reversion, submersion, subversion

aver·sion

noun \ə-ˈvər-zhən, -shən\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of AVERSION

1

: a feeling of repugnance toward something with a desire to avoid or turn from it

2

: a tendency to extinguish a behavior or to avoid a thing or situation and especially a usually pleasurable one because it is or has been associated with a noxious stimulus <conditioning of food aversions by drug injection>