aversive
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aversive
First recorded in 1590–1600; avers(ion) + -ive
Explanation
Things that are aversive repel you or make you change your mind. An aversive smell in your friend's kitchen before her dinner party might cause you to lose your appetite. The adjective aversive is good for describing unpleasant or repellent things, like an aversive reaction to riding in a small boat on a choppy sea. It's more commonly used in very formal writing, however, especially on the topics of psychology and sociology. An aversive stimulus in psychological studies tends to change behavior through some kind of punishment or unpleasant sensation. The Latin root of aversive is aversus, "turned away or turned back."
Vocabulary lists containing aversive
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.
Mr. Bailey offers practical techniques for overcoming the aversive elements of our goals, which are most likely to lead to procrastination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
“If you excessively avoid things that are aversive, that comes at the cost of getting rewards, finding mates, getting food, and things like that,” Kheirbek told Salon in a phone interview.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2025
"The framework by which we judge what is rewarding or aversive is fundamental to how we make medical decisions," said co-senior author Hans Breiter, a professor of computer science at UC.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2024
Four in five of those who participated in the study reported using aversive training methods, such as shouting, which vets said could increase fear and anxiety.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2024
But she only bowed slightly to him, with a sidelong, aversive glance, and walked out of the room with a slow, rigid pace, like one that controls a tendency to giddiness.
From Indian Summer by William Dean Howells
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.
