aversion
Americannoun
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aversions
plural
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a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, repugnance, or antipathy (usually followed byto ).
a strong aversion to snakes and spiders.
- Synonyms:
- disgust, abhorrence, distaste
- Antonyms:
- predilection
-
a cause or object of dislike; person or thing that causes antipathy.
His pet aversion is guests who are always late.
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Obsolete. the act of averting; a turning away or preventing.
noun
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extreme dislike or disinclination; repugnance
-
a person or thing that arouses this
he is my pet aversion
Synonym Usage
Aversion, antipathy, loathing connote strong dislike or detestation. Aversion is an unreasoning desire to avoid that which displeases, annoys, or offends: an aversion to (or toward ) cats. Antipathy is a distaste, dislike, or disgust toward something: an antipathy toward (or for ) braggarts. Loathing connotes a combination of hatred and disgust, or detestation: a loathing for (or toward ) hypocrisy, a criminal.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aversion
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin āversiōn-, stem of āversiō; equivalent to averse + -ion
Explanation
If you have an aversion to something, you have an intense dislike for it. Commonly it's food, but you could have an aversion to black and white movies, driving with the windows open, or taking calls from salespeople. An aversion is also the person or thing that is the object of such intense dislike: her aversions included all kinds of vegetables and fruits. This noun is from Latin avertio, ultimately from avertere "to turn away," from the prefix a- "from" plus vertere "to turn." Near synonyms are repugnance and antipathy.
Vocabulary lists containing aversion
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Describing the corporation as "inward looking", he also criticised the organisation for this leading to "an aversion to risk".
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Humans have adopted an aversion to the casual risks that used to be a part of everyday life.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
Drapatiy’s selection as Syrskiy’s replacement was applauded by rank-and-file soldiers and senior military officials, who cited his aversion to bureaucratic malaise and preference for direct contact with officers on all levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Behavioral finance has a name for this: loss aversion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Maybe I would earn the title after I determined if I’d been born allergic to cleaning or if the aversion had been learned.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Widespread health- and Ozempic-driven aversions to carbohydrates, changing consumer tastes and concern over rising prices have led to beer volume declines for big brewers including Heineken, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Molson Coors and Constellation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
In Olivia’s case, her restrictive eating was driven primarily by sensory aversions.
From Slate ● Jan. 4, 2025
Pregnancy is often a time for food aversions and exhaustion, but for Keatley the opposite has been true.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2023
"I really regret the rice isn't consumed due to safety rumours, but I also understand it's hard to completely refute aversions."
From Reuters ● Mar. 9, 2023
I will uncover and invoke inclinations and aversions.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
