adverse

[ ad-vurs, ad-vurs ]

adjective

1. unfavorable or antagonistic in purpose or effect:

   adverse criticism.

   Synonyms: unfriendly, inimical, hostile

   Antonyms: favorable

2. opposing one's interests or desire:

   adverse circumstances.

   Synonyms: catastrophic, calamitous, disastrous, unfortunate, unlucky, unfavorable

   Antonyms: favorable

3. being or acting in a contrary direction; opposed or opposing:

   adverse winds.

   Antonyms: favorable

4. opposite; confronting:

   the adverse page.

adverse

/ ˈædvɜːs; ædˈvɜːs /

adjective

1. antagonistic or inimical; hostile

   adverse criticism

2. unfavourable to one's interests

   adverse circumstances

3. contrary or opposite in direction or position

   adverse winds

4. See averse
   (of leaves, flowers, etc) facing the main stem Compare averse

Confusables Note

The adjectives adverse and averse are related both etymologically and semantically, each having “opposition” as a central sense. Adverse is seldom used of people but rather of effects or events, and it usually conveys a sense of hostility or harmfulness: adverse reviews; adverse winds; adverse trends in the economy. Related nouns are adversity and adversary: Adversities breed bitterness. His adversaries countered his every move. Averse is used of persons and means “feeling opposed or disinclined”; it often occurs idiomatically with a preceding negative to convey the opposite meaning “willing or agreeable,” and is not interchangeable with adverse in these contexts: We are not averse to holding another meeting. The related noun is aversion: She has a strong aversion to violence. Averse is usually followed by to, in older use occasionally by from.

Derived Forms

• adˈverseness, noun
• adˈversely, adverb

Other Words From

• ad·verse·ly adverb
• ad·verse·ness noun
• un·ad·verse adjective
• un·ad·verse·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of adverse¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French advers, from Latin adversus “hostile” (past participle of advertere ), equivalent to ad- ad- + vert- “turn” + -tus past participle suffix, with -tt- giving rise to -s-

Word History and Origins

Origin of adverse¹

C14: from Latin adversus opposed to, hostile, from advertere to turn towards, from ad- to, towards + vertere to turn

Synonym Study

See contrary.

Example Sentences

“Any time you put a foreign substance into anybody you have the potential for an adverse event,” Geisbert reminds.

From The Daily Beast

I think it's good that it doesn't look like there was any serious adverse event, I mean, nobody was hospitalized.

From The Daily Beast

Human trials of the Ebola vaccine have been temporarily shut down due to adverse side effects.

From The Daily Beast

However, just because a vaccine is replication-defective does not mean that you won't have an adverse event.

From The Daily Beast

For the individual patient, there is the potential for side effects or adverse reactions.

From The Daily Beast

At last his anxiety reached a point where he was positive that if he received an adverse decision, it would surely kill him.

From Project Gutenberg

He must have seen, long before November 1292, that an adverse decision was a foregone conclusion.

From Project Gutenberg

Clear as our case was to us the Conference seemed unconvinced, and we began to fear an adverse vote.

From Project Gutenberg

It is true that an adverse claimant cannot give any title to her husband's land that would bar her right thereto.

From Project Gutenberg

Adverse critics contended that he unduly protected the Filipino to the prejudice of the white manʼs interest.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• conflicting
• detrimental
• disadvantageous
• inimical
• injurious
• negative
• unfortunate
• unfriendly