Adverse or Averse?
The Quick Answer
What is the difference between adverse and averse? Adverse means hostile. Averse means unwilling.
Adverse
The adjective adverse means antagonistic, opposing, harmful, hostile, or unfavorable (unfavourable ). Examples:
Adverse conditions including rain, snow, ice and fog affect your visibility.
He is not responsible for the adverse events in your life.
Averse
The adjective averse means strongly disinclined, unwilling, or loath. (Most often, it refers to people.) Examples:
Are you averse to hunting?
The company staff are averse to change.