Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Expressing antithesis or opposition.
  • noun A word that expresses antithesis or opposition.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Expressing difference, contrariety, opposition, or antithesis: as, an adversative conjunction.
  • Of adverse nature; inimical.
  • noun A word or proposition denoting contrariety or opposition.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Expressing contrariety, opposition, or antithesis; ); an adversative force.
  • noun An adversative word.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective linguistics Expressing opposition or difference.
  • noun rare, dated Something, particularly a clause or conjunction, which is adversative.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective expressing antithesis or opposition

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin adversātīvus, from adversātus, past participle of adversārī, to oppose, from adversus, against; see adverse.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin adversativus ("of conjunctions, expressing opposition")

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word adversative.

Examples

  • Each of these terms has its own adversative nuances, so you should let context guide your selection.

    October « 2008 « Sentence first 2008

  • Each of these terms has its own adversative nuances, so you should let context guide your selection.

    However 2008

  • Aut was adversative: no one feared either social extremity.

    Disjunction Jennings, Ray 2008

  • But modern languages have rubbed off this adversative and inferential form: they have fewer links of connection, there is less mortar in the interstices, and they are content to place sentences side by side, leaving their relation to one another to be gathered from their position or from the context.

    The Dialogues of Plato 2003

  • The structure of the Greek language is partly adversative and alternative, and partly inferential; that is to say, the members of

    Charmides, or Temperance 2003

  • The structure of the Greek language is partly adversative and alternative, and partly inferential; that is to say, the members of

    The Dialogues of Plato 2003

  • But modern languages have rubbed off this adversative and inferential form: they have fewer links of connection, there is less mortar in the interstices, and they are content to place sentences side by side, leaving their relation to one another to be gathered from their position or from the context.

    Charmides, or Temperance 2003

  • The difficulty of preserving the effect of the Greek is increased by the want of adversative and inferential particles in English, and by the nice sense of tautology which characterizes all modern languages.

    Charmides, or Temperance 2003

  • The difficulty of preserving the effect of the Greek is increased by the want of adversative and inferential particles in English, and by the nice sense of tautology which characterizes all modern languages.

    The Dialogues of Plato 2003

  • I therefore think that Jerome, in rendering the particle #K% (ach,) for, has done better than they who read it as an adversative disjunctive; ` otherwise your blood will I require; 'yet literally it may best be thus translated,

    Commentary on Genesis - Volume 1 1509-1564 1996

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • JM is totally against all things adversative.

    June 13, 2010