aversion
Americannoun
-
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
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.
But they shared an aversion to conventional plot, coherent character psychology and even rational argument.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
“The decline in shadow fleet activity likely reflects increased risk aversion among operators,” Dimitris Ampatzidis, a risk and compliance analyst at Kpler, told Barron’s.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
Crucially, this in turn would massively help governments reduce their interest expense because bond markets are obliged to factor in risk aversion because they are focused on second-guessing inflation three months out.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Generali’s Deputy Chief Executive Giulio Terzariol said European insurers should be shielded from the private-credit storm given the continent’s structural risk aversion and strict capital buffers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
“He loses no opportunity to let me see that he despises me and I inspire aversion in him,” Theo tells Wil.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
