aversion
Americannoun
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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.
-
Obsolete. the act of averting; a turning away or preventing.
noun
-
extreme dislike or disinclination; repugnance
-
a person or thing that arouses this
he is my pet aversion
Related Words
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.
Etymology
Origin of aversion
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin āversiōn-, stem of āversiō; equivalent to averse + -ion
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.
“He has such an aversion to being liked,” David Thomson wrote, in a 1983 issue of Film Comment, about Shepard’s screen presence.
Europe’s other military power, there is widespread aversion to conscription, which ended in 1960.
Berkshire reported third-quarter earnings a week ago, showing a growing pile of cash and a continued aversion to stock buybacks.
From MarketWatch
A scathing take-down of Mamdani's policies and background in The Spectator magazine may be closer to the views of the average Tory MP, who have a tribal aversion to socialism in all its forms.
From BBC
More specifically, what behavior experts call “regret aversion” — our tendency to avoid choices that might someday leave us second-guessing ourselves.
From MarketWatch
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.
