1
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests
all the adverse publicity really caused the movie star's popularity to suffer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detrimental
causing or capable of causing harm
the adverse effects of the drug are too severe to allow it to be marketed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adverse
Summer heat and dry conditions slow down turfgrass growth; drought-tolerant grass turns dormant, a natural protective response to adverse conditions.
—
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2025
Prahl co-authored a small, early study that found no adverse outcomes and showed antibody protection persisted for both the mother and the baby after birth.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 2 June 2025
Several would require the skillful balancing of adverse political interests, including labor unions, real estate companies and pro-tenant groups.
—Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 1 June 2025
In 2023, for example, a federal judge ruled that mifepristone should be taken off the market by citing low-quality studies that reported adverse effects from mifepristone.
—Keren Landman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for adverse
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2025
Prahl co-authored a small, early study that found no adverse outcomes and showed antibody protection persisted for both the mother and the baby after birth.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 2 June 2025
Several would require the skillful balancing of adverse political interests, including labor unions, real estate companies and pro-tenant groups.
—Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 1 June 2025
In 2023, for example, a federal judge ruled that mifepristone should be taken off the market by citing low-quality studies that reported adverse effects from mifepristone.
—Keren Landman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for adverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adverse
Adjective
-
But at a time when student-athletes’ rights prevail and provide the freedom to change schools and cash in, coaches aim to regain control and curtail roster movement — even at the expense of a player in an unfavorable situation.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 May 2025
-
The reality is that an underdeveloped supply chain and unfavorable economics are far larger factors.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, not getting The Notebook was far from detrimental, as Witherspoon became a leading romantic comedy actress and starred in Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, Vanity Fair, Walk the Line and Just Like Heaven — all from 2001 to 2005.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
1 June 2025
-
This change is especially detrimental to the daughter’s character, forcing Łubik to spend most of her performance hysterically responding to her mother’s actions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
There is no denying that tariffs come with a net negative cost to the consumer and economic surplus overall.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
-
Meanwhile, polls show that Trump continues to face strong headwinds on the issue of inflation, with net approval ratings on the topic deeply negative—despite attempts by his administration to scale back tariffs, having paused the majority of them.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some of these harmful ideologies might be downstream of these larger root causes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
-
The jury is still out on whether emulsifiers are harmful to the gut.—
Fran Kritz,
Verywell Health,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
That’s coupled with a more hostile political environment for diversity-forward businesses.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
-
The crowd was right on top of you there, the students rimmed the court, the very definition of a hostile environment.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
Potent thunderstorms across the central and eastern U.S. this week could trigger flash floods, damaging winds and possible tornadoes as California prepares for its first heat wave of the season.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
-
Large hail and damaging winds are the primary threats, with a low (non-zero) tornado threat.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
At times, the Algerian even operated as a wide forward as O’Neil grappled with a forward injury crisis and identified Ait-Nouri as his most dangerous attacking threat.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
-
This security problem is dangerous in many sectors of business, including financial, travel, and e-commerce.—
Gary Drenik,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
-
These let companies create boundaries—like firewalls—that ensure LLMs don't inject bad information or influence outputs in unintended ways.—
Sean White,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adverse. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share