aversive

adjective

aver·​sive ə-ˈvər-siv 

-ziv

: tending to avoid or causing avoidance of a noxious or punishing stimulus

behavior modification by aversive stimulation

aversively adverb

aversiveness noun

Examples of aversive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her attorney, Jim Campbell, said Colorado is pointing to studies that lump together the kind of counseling Chiles wants to do with shock therapy and other aversive treatments that have been used in the past. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025

Dogs are also particularly sensitive to physical touch in certain areas of the body, such as the head, shoulders, and neck, which can become aversive if handled improperly or unexpectedly by veterinary staff. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

While once thought incapable of feeling pain, some invertebrates react to aversive stimuli. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025

Secondly, people in these societies are more likely to perceive aversive behavior as common and justifiable. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 20 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see averse

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aversive

• coercive
• discursive
• dispersive
• immersive
• recursive
• subversive
• cursive

Medical Definition

aversive

1 of 2 adjective

aver·​sive

ə-ˈvər-siv, -ziv

: tending to avoid or causing avoidance of a noxious or punishing stimulus

behavior modification by aversive conditioning

aversively adverb

aversiveness noun

aversive

2 of 2 noun

: a noxious or punishing stimulus used to suppress an undesirable behavior or habit

Aversives enter the picture because, although many "positive" (nonpunitive) methods for stopping self-injurious behaviors have been developed, they don't work in all cases.

—Constance Holden, Science