aversive

[uh-vur-siv, -ziv]

adjective

1. of or relating to aversion.

2. of or relating to aversive conditioning.

noun

1. a reprimand, punishment, or agent, used in aversive conditioning.

   Antabuse is a commonly used aversive in the treatment of alcoholism.

aversive

/ əˈvɜːsɪv /

adjective

1. tending to dissuade or repel

Other Word Forms

• aversively adverb
• aversiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of aversive¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; avers(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

Her research suggests dogs bought in the pandemic have higher rates of problem behaviours, with new owners more likely to use aversive training methods.

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“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.

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These distasteful experiences -- known as aversive cues -- and our initial reactions to them are pivotal to understanding who will become an addict, said University of Texas at El Paso biologist Travis Moschak, Ph.D.

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If you stumble during a presentation, you might feel stressed the next time you have to present because your brain associates your next presentation with that one poor and aversive experience.

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The participants were then asked to recontextualize the stimulus by generating new kinds of thoughts about an image to make it less aversive, before a neutral image was presented followed by another dislikable image.

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Related Words

• aloof 
• apathetic 
• callous 
• cruel 
• disinterested 
• indifferent 
• insensitive 
• lukewarm 
• unconcerned 
• unpleasant 
• unresponsive