adverse

adjective

ad-ˈvərs How to pronounce adverse (audio)
Definition of adversenext
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 It's related to, but different from, a ground delay, which is when flights destined for an airport experiencing adverse conditions must delay their takeoffs, according to the FAA. — Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2026 As of September 17, the FDA says no reports of adverse health effects have been made. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 21 Sep. 2026 The ultimate distinction, Raji said, is whether an adverse finding produces consequences. — Barbara Booth, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 Rather than fight an injunction motion — and potentially be forced to appeal an adverse ruling — Paramount chose instead to concede the issue and concentrate its trial defense. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adverse
  1. unfavorable
  2. detrimental
  3. negative
  4. harmful
  5. hostile
  6. damaging
  7. dangerous
  8. bad
Adjective
  • The agreement, which excluded some aspects of previous international proposals that Rhodesia had found unfavorable, also bypassed the PF leaders and their considerable support base.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Independent Leadership Council pollster Brett Loyd attributed Kiley’s increase to a larger number of voters in the district who have unfavorable views of both major political parties.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfavorable
Adjective
  • That's on the heels of a 41-7 blowout at Northwestern that was ugly enough for Deion Sanders to dismiss a handful of players for conduct detrimental to the team days later.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • To that point, Carter wrote that if the NFL’s relationship with Fanatics were detrimental to the marketplace, there would be higher prices for consumers.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of detrimental
Adjective
  • Solomon has also previously drawn negative press over his hobby of DJing.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Harming any of these beings results in negative karma, which further traps souls in samsara.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of negative
Adjective
  • Neon plans a 2027 theatrical release under the Creative Commons license for the open-source horror film based on a fictional secretive organization that keeps supernatural items and other harmful entities away from the public.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Executives from six major AI companies signed a one-page document pledging to monitor their models and prevent harmful uses such as hacking.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • In a hostile divorce proceeding, the first camp to attack has a major advantage.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The mission’s goal is to evaluate how the chips fare during the launch, as well as in the hostile space environment.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • But the longer City digs its heels in, the more damaging this will get for everyone involved.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, Christian was charged with disorderly conduct and damaging property.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of damaging
Adjective
  • Wickline came on as an increasingly flustered Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, who’s explaining why AI is dangerous without taking any responsibility for that.
    — Rima Parikh, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree fell Saturday, was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf all the way to New England.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Adjective
  • Why is Indonesia experiencing its worst ever wildfire season?
    — TheWeek, TheWeek, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Interior designers and professional organizers say most kitchens hide usable square footage in plain sight, trapped behind clutter, bad habits and bulky gear that could be stored smarter or edited out entirely.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bad

Browse Nearby Words

adversary
adverse
adversely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Adverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adverse. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All