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adverse

adjective
ad·​verse | \ ad-ˈvərs How to pronounce adverse (audio) , ˈad-ˌvərs-\

Definition of adverse

1 : acting against or in a contrary direction : hostile hindered by adverse winds
2a : opposed to one's interests an adverse verdict heard testimony adverse to their position especially : unfavorable adverse criticism
b : causing harm : harmful adverse drug effects
3 archaic : opposite in position
Other Words from adverse Synonyms & Antonyms Adverse vs. Averse More Example Sentences Learn More about adverse

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Other Words from adverse

adverseness noun

Adverse vs. Averse

Many people find themselves confused when faced with the choice between adverse and averse. While these two adjectives have many similarities, they are not used interchangeably.

If you want to describe a negative reaction to something (such as a harmful side effect from medication) or dangerous meteorological conditions (such as a snowstorm), adverse is the correct choice; you would not say that you had an averse reaction to medication or that there was averse weather.

Averse is most commonly followed by the preposition to (as in "she is averse to shellfish"), but not in every case; you can, for example, describe someone as “risk averse." Normally, averse to signifies a degree of dislike and avoidance, but when preceded by the word not (as in “he was not averse to having another drink”), it may be used as a pointedly understated way to express an interest in something.

In short, adverse tends to be used to describe effects, conditions, and results; while averse refers to feelings and inclinations.

Examples of adverse in a Sentence

The Bankruptcy Code requires that debtor's counsel be disinterested and not have an interest adverse to the estate. — Lawyers Weekly USA, 4 Oct. 1999 On more than one occasion his decrees provoked riots, and there were those who voiced adverse opinions on the Duke in public. — Alison Weir, The Princes in the Tower, 1992 The plant tolerates adverse conditions … — Dave Dunn, Fine Gardening, January/February 1991 all the adverse publicity really caused the movie star's popularity to suffer the adverse effects of the drug are too severe to allow it to be marketed
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Recent Examples on the Web

 A hundred and thirty otherwise healthy individuals would have to take the drug to prevent a single heart attack, and all the while each person would be increasing his or her risk of adverse side effects. — Hannah Fry, The New Yorker, "What Statistics Can and Can’t Tell Us About Ourselves," 2 Sep. 2019 It should be noted that the latter two treatments from Celgene and AbbVie are part of a class that come with some notable adverse events and black box warnings. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "The FDA Went on an Epic Drug Approval Binge This Week: Brainstorm Health," 16 Aug. 2019 Some hospitals were rated below average in part because of low patient volume, not necessarily because of a high number of deaths or other adverse events. — Naseem S. Miller, orlandosentinel.com, "AdventHealth Orlando named top hospital in Florida," 31 July 2019 The death and illness may be the first serious adverse events associated with the poopy procedure, out of tens of thousands of times it's believed to have been performed in the US. — Maryn Mckenna, WIRED, "The Death of a Patient and the Future of Fecal Transplants," 11 July 2019 The bill prevents the government from taking adverse action against persons or businesses for their affiliation in a religious organization. — Dallas News, "Poll: Texas voters support Gov. Greg Abbott, Roe v. Wade and protecting LGBT people," 6 June 2019 There is something called a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program in effect with mifepristone, which is used by the FDA to lessen the risk of adverse events happening in relation to certain medications, as the FDA explains. — SELF, "The Complicated Reality of Buying Abortion Pills Online," 8 Apr. 2019 Buffington, an associate professor at the University of South Florida's pharmacy department, said the drug causes confusion and aggression and had adverse effects on how McGlockton acted. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "Victim's family said they can rest after a Florida man was convicted of manslaughter in 'Stand Your Ground' trial," 24 Aug. 2019 Under the Clean Water Act, all mining companies have to perform offsetting mitigation measures to compensate for the loss of or adverse effects on aquatic resources or habitat. — Elizabeth Earl, Anchorage Daily News, "Partnership mines old gold while reclaiming the Fortymile River for fish," 21 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adverse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of adverse

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for adverse

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French advers, borrowed from Latin adversus "turned toward, facing, opposed," from past participle of advertere "to turn toward, direct" — more at advert entry 1

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More Definitions for adverse

adverse

adjective
How to pronounce adverse (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of adverse

: bad or unfavorable : not good

See the full definition for adverse in the English Language Learners Dictionary

adverse

adjective
ad·​verse | \ ad-ˈvərs How to pronounce adverse (audio) \

Kids Definition of adverse

1 : acting against or in an opposite direction adverse winds
2 : not helping or favoring adverse circumstances

Other Words from adverse

adversely adverb Bad weather adversely affected attendance at the fair.

adverse

adjective
ad·​verse | \ ad-ˈvərs, ˈad-ˌvərs How to pron </div> <div class=

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