adverse
[ ad-vurs, ad-vurs ]
/ ædˈvɜrs, ˈæd vɜrs /
adjective
unfavorable or antagonistic in purpose or effect: adverse criticism.
opposing one's interests or desire: adverse circumstances.
being or acting in a contrary direction; opposed or opposing: adverse winds.
opposite; confronting: the adverse page.
SYNONYMS FOR adverse
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Origin of adverse
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-
synonym study for adverse
2. See contrary.
words often confused with adverse
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM adverse
ad·verse·ly, adverbad·verse·ness, nounun·ad·verse, adjectiveun·ad·verse·ness, nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH adverse
adverse , averse (see usage note at the current entry)Words nearby adverse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for adverse
British Dictionary definitions for adverse
adverse
/ (ˈædvɜːs, ædˈvɜːs) /
adjective
antagonistic or inimical; hostileadverse criticism
unfavourable to one's interestsadverse circumstances
contrary or opposite in direction or positionadverse winds
(of leaves, flowers, etc) facing the main stemCompare averse (def. 2)
Derived forms of adverse
adversely, adverbadverseness, nounWord Origin for adverse
C14: from Latin adversus opposed to, hostile, from advertere to turn towards, from ad- to, towards + vertere to turn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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