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
The government is a sprawling legal entity, and agencies can take positions adverse to presidents, former presidents, officers, employees, and private parties.
—
Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
If those dominoes start to fall in a way that surprises Wall Street, reactions will be much more adverse.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 May 2026
This is known as adverse selection.
—Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
They are increasingly being restricted across the world due to their adverse health effects.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for adverse
Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
If those dominoes start to fall in a way that surprises Wall Street, reactions will be much more adverse.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 May 2026
This is known as adverse selection.
—Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
They are increasingly being restricted across the world due to their adverse health effects.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for adverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adverse
Adjective
-
The agreement was immediately challenged in Kenya’s High Court, with opponents criticizing it for unfavorable terms.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Wasserman Schultz’s overall rating among Democratic voters in the district, with 80% favorable and 13% unfavorable, is a net positive of 67 percentage points.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
However, be careful when choosing which plants to prune, as getting the timing wrong can be detrimental.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
1 June 2026
-
In this instance, using the AI advice could be detrimental to their livelihood.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Republicans can be convinced that negative stories about their candidates are media put-ons, and Democrats are a little envious that their voters haven’t adopted the same attitude of ignore, fight, move on, maybe sue.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
-
The system features an open architecture that pairs a pure lithium metal negative electrode directly with ambient oxygen drawn from the surrounding atmosphere to act as the positive electrode reactant.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Platforms will be required to introduce safety-by-design features, including protections against manipulative design that encourages compulsive use, and take action against underage accounts and harmful content.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
In addition to being harmful to humans, certain types of mushrooms can be poisonous to pets if consumed.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The suspects were arrested and have been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office with damaging phone, electrical or utility lines, felony vandalism and grand theft.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
The fires blazed near Interstate 84 between mileposts 13 and 17 and between Southeast 8th and 9th avenues off of Sand Hollow Road, according to a news release, after a powerful storm system with high, damaging winds blew through the Treasure Valley.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Brith had shut her eyes, finding that the sparks were still living on the inside of the lids, vivid in their dangerous dark.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Carpenter says the disturbing encounters left her fearful for her safety and that of relatives living with her, as police label the suspect’s fixation irrational and increasingly dangerous.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
But that’s made even worse by the fact that a significant portion of these observational studies did not even have a comparison group.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
-
The views over the city aren’t bad either.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adverse. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
