Confusing Words: Averse (adjective) and Adverse (adjective)
Meaning:
Averse (having a strong dislike of or opposition to something.)
Adverse (preventing success or development; harmful; unfavourable.)
Averse vs Adverse Clarification: Averse and adverse are used as adjective and they have slightly similar meanings but these words are not interchangeable.
Averse vs Adverse – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
English writers come up with some difficulties while writing. Other than homophones, there are some special cases in English language in which writers get puzzled. Those complications can be the words that have quite similar meanings.
The first and foremost difference between averse and adverse is spelling. One-letter difference keeps them aside (i.e. averse – adverse).
Other than spellings, the meanings and the function of these two words are also different. Just remember one thing, that is very important, is that averse is applied to people whereas adverse applies to any condition, situation or thing. For instance,
• I am averse
• An adverse effect
Definition and Examples of Averse and Adverse
I hope that after reading meanings and examples, you will never ever find any trouble getting these words.
Averse and adverse are used as adjective.
Meanings are different.
Averse
The synonym of averse is ‘against’. The definition is ‘a hostile feeling of objection or opposition to something’. Keep in mind that averse is followed by ‘to’.
1. I am averse to attending conferences on such serious issues.
2. Nevertheless, Ms. Fishbein is not averse to a large sociable gathering.Reference – (vocabulary.com)
Adverse
You have heard about ‘adverse condition’, it means ‘bad condition’. It is synonymous to unfavorable, unlucky, or harmful. You can only use it for any condition or things.
1. This song is making an adverse effect on me.
2. The United States has had adverse relations with Cuba for many years. Reference –(Writingexplained.org)
It is clear from the above explanation that averse and adverse are different words with some similarity of meanings that is causing confusion among writers. A small tip for you is to remember that ‘averse’ should apply to any person and ‘adverse’ should apply to any situation, condition or a thing.
Have you ever heard about the words ‘aversion’ and ‘adversity’? These are comparative words or nouns of averse and adverse. Aversion is comparative noun of averse which has similar meaning as averse i.e. a person’s strong feeling of dislike. Adversity, as the name highlights, is comparative noun of adverse which is a difficult or an unpleasant condition.
Check Out: The Difference Between Ad and Add.
What Did You Learn?
Averse and adverse are used as adjective and they have slightly similar meanings but these words are not interchangeable.
Adverse applies to a condition, situation or a thing; for instance, a harmful event. Averse, on the other hand, applies to people; for example, a hostile feeling of a person to something.