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

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

As part of the experiment, 92 dogs were split into groups, with one-third trained using aversive methods, while another third used reward methods, and the other group combined the two. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 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

Avoidant Job Crafting Avoidant job crafting refers to behaviors aimed at reducing aspects of work that employees find aversive, threatening or excessively demanding. —Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 10 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