averse

a·verse
A1V4E1R1S1E1
UK/əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/

adjective

Having a repugnance or opposition of mind.

“The board is not averse to further talks.”

Less commonScrabble 9

Meanings

adjectiveaverse (comparative more averse, superlative most averse)

comparative more averse · superlative most averse

  1. Having a repugnance or opposition of mind.

    The board is not averse to further talks.

    2 more examples

    “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

    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

    Synonyms: disliking, disinclined, fromward, unwilling, reluctant, loath, antipathetic

  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. obsoleteLying on the opposite side (to or from).
  4. governmentAversant; of a hand: turned so as to show the back.
verbaverse (third-person singular simple present averses, present participle aversing, simple past and past participle aversed)

present singular third person averses · participle present aversing · participle past aversed · past aversed

  1. obsoleteraretransitiveTo 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
    1 more example

    […] 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

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveHaving a repugnance or opposition of mind.

More synonyms by meaning

adjective(usually followed by ‘to’) strongly opposed

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinaversus
  2. Englishaverse

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian неохотен, обърнат назад
  • неохотен (neohoten)having opposition of mind
  • обърнат назад (obărnat nazad)turned away or backward
Czech mající averzi
  • mající averzihaving opposition of mind
Finnish nurjamielinen, karsas
  • nurjamielinenhaving opposition of mind
  • karsashaving opposition of mind
Hindi विमुख
  • विमुख (vimukh)having opposition of mind
Māori mataku, koto
  • matakuhaving opposition of mind
  • kotohaving opposition of mind
Polish awersyjny
  • awersyjnyhaving opposition of mind
Spanish reacio, averso
  • reaciohaving opposition of mind
  • aversohaving opposition of mind
Tagalog ayaw
  • ayawhaving opposition of mind

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with averse

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

a versea verse

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

averse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/averse

MLA

“averse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/averse. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “averse,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/averse.

Source: averse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.