Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having a feeling of opposition, distaste, or aversion; strongly disinclined: investors who are averse to taking risks.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Turned away from anything; turned backward; averted.
- Hence Specifically: In botany, turned away from the central axis: opposed to adverse (which see). In ornithology, set back or turned away from: applied to pygopodous or rumpfooted birds, whose legs are set so far back that the erect posture is necessitated, as in the case of the loon, grebe, or auk.
- Disliking; unwilling; having reluctance.
- Unfavorable; indisposed; adverse.
- [This word and its derivatives are now regularly followed by to, and not by from, although the latter is used by some modern writers. The word itself includes the idea of from; but the literal meaning is ignored, the affection of the mind signified by the word being regarded as exerted toward the object of dislike. Similarly, the kindred terms contrary, repugnant, etc., are also followed by to.] Synonyms Averse, Reluctant, disinclined, backward, slow, loath, opposed. Averse implies habitual dislike or unwillingness, though not of a very strong character, and is nearly synonymous with disinclined: as, averse to study, to active pursuits. Reluctant, literally, struggling back from, implies some degree of struggle either with others who are inciting us on, or between our own inclination and some strong motive, as sense of duty, whether it operates as an impelling or as a restraining influence. See antipathy.
- To turn away; avert. B. Jonson.
Wiktionary
- adj. Having a repugnance or opposition of mind.
- adj. Turned away or backward.
- adj. obsolete Lying on the opposite side (to or from).
- v. transitive To turn away.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. obsolete Turned away or backward.
- adj. Having a repugnance or opposition of mind; disliking; disinclined; unwilling; reluctant.
- v. obsolete To turn away.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. (usually followed by `to') strongly opposed
Etymologies
- From Latin aversus, past participle of avertere ("to avert") (Wiktionary)
- Latin āversus, past participle of āvertere, to turn away; see avert. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Being seriously risk averse is as harmful as having too much risk tolerance.”
“We are taught to think of them as stolid, almost physically rooted to the soil and averse from the artificial.”
“The experience gained is of no use in any other employment, and the unusual freedom makes the messenger who has outgrown his calling averse to the discipline of more regular occupations.”
“These earnest terms are often used, and the address to God, as indifferent or averse, is found in Ps 3: 7; 22: 24; 27: 9, &c.”
“As movies have become more expensive to make and market, big studios have become more risk averse, which is why more and more films are remakes, sequels, or are based on popular previous works.”
The Huffington Post: Jonathan Kim: ReThink Review - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
“Our financing system is increasingly risk averse, which is stifling entrepreneurship and innovation.”
“More than that, if the policy issues raised by the Shell-BOC row are not resolved and firmed up government positions will continue to be characterized as averse to efficient good governance and the permanent good of our republic.”
“Or, for the stats-terms averse, he's least likely to be simply an Arizona mirage.”
“If exposing the CIA makes them more risk-averse, that is a GOOD thing.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘averse’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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EN - confusables
Similar words meaning different things
accept, except, adverse, averse, advice, advise, affect, effect, aisle, isle, all together, altogether and 134 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Russian Doll Words
A Russian Doll word is a word that, when you remove the first and last letters, is either the empty string, or a Russian Doll word. These are all of the 6 or more letter Russian Doll words found in...
waspiness, upraisers, strainers, sporangia, raspiness, prelatess, methanals, gaspiness, washings, uprisers, upraises, upraiser and 2373 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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Verses
inverse, reverse, universe, obverse, adverse, averse, converse, bouleversement, diverse, overseas, oversee, oversew and 20 more...
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Do More Than Hate
A list of words for describing dislike, reproval or criticism.
belabor, malevolent, reprobate, ire, anger, rage, fury, choler, indignance, grame, scorn, geck and 23 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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GRE 3500
abase, abash, abate, aberrant, abeyance, abjure, ablution, abut, accede, accentuate, acerbity, acetic and 133 more...
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cindywrites's Words
chiaroscuro, mollycoddle, feckless, evocative, provocative, invocation, beckon, allay, becalm, console, lull, soothe and 479 more...
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fifi
verbs Adj Adv noun
indulge, convene, solve, dissolve, prospect, prospective, allege, resolve, accountable, administration, amid, agenda and 407 more...
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SAT PSAT ALPHABETICAL A
abandon, abash, abate, abjure, ablution, abnegate, abominable, aboriginal, abortive, abrade, abridge, abrogate and 172 more...
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wreckingball's Words
reprehensible, problematize, crepuscular, deleterious, pestilent, strumpet, draggletail, interrobang, meretricious, systematize, schadenfreude, capricious and 443 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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Wordwild's Delights
Delightful words to read and use
plangent, ribald, titubant, sidereal, pelagic, improvident, dolorous, parlous, baleful, precatory, pied, mephitic and 247 more...
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