aversive
Americanadjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- aversively adverb
- aversiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of aversive
First recorded in 1590–1600; avers(ion) + -ive
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.
Trying hard is costly and aversive, but it’s something humans value.
From Washington Post
In another, dogs reportedly trained with aversive tools were, as the researchers put it, more "pessimistic" than dogs that were not, based on their hesitation in approaching a bowl of food.
From Salon
He has also explored people’s subconscious views of creativity, and found that innovation is aversive in part because it can intensify feelings of uncertainty.
From New York Times
They believe that the liars' gaze is aversive and furtive – in simple terms, that the person is struggling to look you in the eye.
From Salon
We procrastinate on tasks we find “difficult, unpleasant, aversive or just plain boring or stressful.”
From Washington Post
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.
