Word
averse
US/əˈvɝs/
UK/ɐvˈɜːs/
Definition
adj. having a strong dislike for something or not wanting to do it.
adj. having a strong feeling of opposition or antipathy toward something. Used predicatively, typically following a linking verb.
Examples
“He is not averse to hard work.”
“The board of directors is generally averse to taking high risks with the company's pension fund.”
“While some investors are entirely risk-averse, others are willing to tolerate significant volatility in exchange for the potential of higher long-term returns.”
Examples
simple
“He is not averse to hard work.”
contextual
“The board of directors is generally averse to taking high risks with the company's pension fund.”
complex
“While some investors are entirely risk-averse, others are willing to tolerate significant volatility in exchange for the potential of higher long-term returns.”
Usage
Typically follows a linking verb and takes the preposition 'to'.
Pitfall
He is averse from risk
He is averse to risk
In modern English, 'averse' almost always takes the preposition 'to' rather than 'from'.
Real-World Examples
“He met Slovak prime minister Robert Fico in Bratislava, a political leader who has been averse to military aid to Ukraine.” “This could be because women are more patient and risk averse, says Joanna Floyd, business psychologist at London-based The Work Psychologists.” Etymology
From Latin aversus, past participle of avertere (“to avert”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/averse