averse

adjective

ə-ˈvərs 

: having an active feeling of repugnance, dislike, or distaste

—usually used with to

She was not averse to taking chances.

He seems to be averse to strenuous exercise.

—commonly used in compounds both with and without a hyphen

a conservative risk-averse investor

a crowd averse teen

aversely adverb

averseness noun

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of averse

• allergic

Choose the Right Synonym for averse

disinclined, hesitant, reluctant, loath, averse mean lacking the will or desire to do something indicated.

disinclined implies lack of taste for or inclination.

disinclined to move again

disinclined for reading

hesitant implies a holding back especially through fear or uncertainty.

hesitant about asking for a date

reluctant implies a holding back through unwillingness.

a reluctant witness

loath implies hesitancy because of conflict with one's opinions, predilections, or liking.

seems loath to trust anyone

averse implies a holding back from or avoiding because of distaste or repugnance.

averse to hard work

not averse to an occasional drink

Examples of averse in a Sentence

I'm not averse to broccoli if it's cooked right.

Recent Examples on the Web

That lower employee engagement, Belluccia notes, is feeding into a broader trend of employees becoming more risk-averse and less interested in traditional advancement. — Alyshia Hull, USA Today, 25 June 2026

This data suggests that corporate leaders are not defining what good performance means, which translates into their employees becoming risk-averse, which limits innovation and entrepreneurship. — Bob Batchelor, Fortune, 23 June 2026

Humans are instinctively averse to pain, conditioned instead to solve and strengthen and maximize, to inure ourselves to hurt. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Stock compensation made executives even more risk-averse and short-term focused, not entrepreneurial. — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin aversus, past participle of avertere — see avert

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing averse

• averse to

Rhymes for averse

• adverse
• coerce
• disburse
• disperse
• diverse
• immerse
• inverse
• obverse
• perverse
• rehearse
• reverse
• transverse

Kids Definition

averse

adjective

ə-ˈvərs 

: having an active and strong dislike

averse to exercise

aversely adverb

averseness noun