aversion

noun

aver·​sion ə-ˈvər-zhən 

-shən

1

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

2

: an object of dislike or aversion

"Of all things inconstancy is my aversion."

—Jane Austen

3

obsolete : the act of turning away

Synonyms of aversion

• disgust
• hatred
• distaste
• nausea
• horror

Examples of aversion in a Sentence

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

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

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

They regarded war with aversion.

I simply have this ingrained aversion to the sight of bloodshed.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Japan’s corporate culture shifted to reward caution over disruptive innovation, a trend that the World Economic Forum attributes to a cultural aversion to failure and risk. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

Once a loss is perceived, loss aversion kicks in—an emotional response in which the pain of loss far outweighs the pleasure of gain. — Adrian Gore, Time, 17 Aug. 2026

Deep cultural reasons, such as collective aversion to the reputational risk for companies that suffer an AI failure, have prevented rapid use. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026

Some users may not want their Twitch content used to train Amazon AI because of a lack of financial benefit, concerns that AI could cannibalize their business, or an aversion to the broader Amazon conglomerate. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see averse

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing aversion

• aversion therapy

Rhymes for aversion

• aspersion
• conversion
• dispersion
• diversion
• eversion
• excursion
• immersion
• incursion
• inversion
• perversion
• recursion
• reversion

Kids Definition

aversion

noun

aver·​sion ə-ˈvər-zhən 

1

: a strong dislike

2

: something strongly disliked

Medical Definition

aversion

noun

aver·​sion ə-ˈvər-zhən, -shən 

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