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.