Adverse vs. Averse: Harmful vs. Reluctant

The Distinction

• Adverse = harmful, unfavorable, working against (describes conditions/things)
• Averse = having a strong dislike, reluctant (describes people’s feelings)

Adverse: Bad Conditions

Use “adverse” to describe unfavorable situations or effects:

• “Adverse weather delayed the flight.” ✓
• “The drug has adverse side effects.” ✓
• “They faced adverse circumstances.” ✓
• “Adverse publicity hurt the company.” ✓

“Adverse” typically describes things, not people.

Averse: Personal Reluctance

Use “averse” when someone dislikes or opposes something:

• “She’s averse to taking risks.” ✓
• “I’m not averse to the idea.” ✓
• “He’s averse to change.” ✓
• “They were averse to conflict.” ✓

“Averse” almost always appears with “to” and refers to people.

The Quick Test

Is it describing conditions or effects? → adverse Is it describing someone’s feelings or reluctance? → adverse

Can you replace it with “opposed to” or “reluctant”?

• Yes → averse
• No → adverse

The Preposition Difference

• Adverse rarely takes a preposition (adverse conditions, adverse effects)
• Averse almost always uses “to” (averse to something)

“Averse to” is so common that if you see “to” after the word, you probably want averse.

Memory Tricks

• Adverse = adversity (bad circumstances)
• Averse = aversion (personal dislike)

Or: Averse = Attitude (personal feeling)

Common Pairings

Adverse (harmful)	Averse (reluctant)
Adverse conditions	Risk-averse
Adverse effects	Averse to change
Adverse reaction	Not averse to
Adverse weather	Loss-averse

The “Risk” Combination

You’ll often see “risk-averse” (hyphenated):

• “She’s a risk-averse investor.” ✓

This means someone who dislikes or avoids risk. It describes their personal attitude.

But: “Adverse risk factors” describes risks that are harmful.

Common Mistakes

Wrong: “He’s adverse to trying new foods.” Right: “He’s averse to trying new foods.” (personal reluctance)

Wrong: “The averse weather conditions…” Right: “The adverse weather conditions…” (harmful conditions)

Remember

• Adverse = harmful, unfavorable (things/conditions)
• Averse = opposed to, reluctant (people + “to”)