Dictionary

averse en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• ə-vûrs′
• /əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Latin aversus, past participle of avertere (“to avert”).

Meanings

1. Having a repugnance or opposition of mind.
   • This is why the most eminent intellects have always been strongly averse to any kind of disturbance, interruption and distraction, and above everything to that violent interruption which is caused by noise; other people do not take any particular notice of this sort of thing. 2004, Arthur Schopenhauer, chapter 2, in Essays of Schopenhauer:
   • “I assure you, cousin,” replied the old gentleman, “that the Baron, notwithstanding his unpleasant manner, […] is not, after all, so bad as you make him out to be; and further, I should like to know why you are so averse to him.” 1885, E. T. A. Hoffmann, The Entail, archived from the original on 13 Apr 2011:
   • The board is not averse to further talks.
2. Turned away or backward.
   • The tracks averse a lying notice gave, / And led the searcher backward from the cave. 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
3. (obsolete) Lying on the opposite side (to or from).
4. Aversant; of a hand: turned so as to show the back.

Forms

Deriveds

aversely · risk-averse · averseness · aversity · unaverse

Relateds

avert · aversion

Synonyms

antipathetic · disinclined · loath · fromward · unwilling · disliking · reluctant

Translations (17)

fi karsas (having opposition of mind) · bg неохотен (having opposition of mind) · bg обърнат назад (turned away or backward) · pl awersyjny (having opposition of mind) · fi nurjamielinen (having opposition of mind) · bcl habo (having opposition of mind) · es reacio (having opposition of mind) · hi विमुख (having opposition of mind) · tl ayaw (having opposition of mind) · gv neuwooiagh (having opposition of mind) · oc opausat (having opposition of mind) · cs mající averzi (having opposition of mind) · oc avèrs (having opposition of mind) · mi koto (having opposition of mind) · es averso (having opposition of mind) · gv neuaggindagh (having opposition of mind) · mi mataku (having opposition of mind)

averse en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• ə-vûrs′
• /əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Latin aversus, past participle of avertere (“to avert”).

Meanings

1. (obsolete, rare, transitive) To turn away.
   • The inconveniences aversing from clandestine marriages are pointedly depicted in the last two lines, teaching lessons of morality to all romantic babies. 1859, The Yale Literary Magazine, volume 24, number 7, page 302:
   • […] and, in this panegyrick of the Teutonick blood, I have so prolixly insisted, not only to vindicate our own, as being a stream of the same, and to evince the nobility thereof, but withal to convince the folly of those wretches among us, who aversing ours do so much adhere unto, and dote upon descents from France and Normandy. 1808, The Harleian miscellany:

Forms

Relateds

adverse