[Grammar] "Adverse" or is it "averse"?

[MikeL]

Adverse and averse are two different words with different meanings. It seems many writers have forgotten averse and use adverse without regard to what they wish to communicate. I have recently seen adverse used in a story here at GA when the writer obviously meant averse. I also saw it misused in a very slick, professional brochure from an investment management company where they said their "investment policy is risk adverse". It's obvious that they wanted to communicate that they have an aversion to risk...they try to avoid it.

 

The discussion below from Wiktionary.org should be helpful in understanding the difference:

 

Usage notes

 

Adverse is sometimes confused with averse, though the meanings are somewhat different. Adverse most often refers to things, denoting something that is in opposition to someone's interests — something one might refer to as an adversity or adversary — (adverse winds; an attitude adverse to our ideals). Averse usually refers to people, and implies one has a distaste, disinclination, or aversion toward something (a leader averse to war; an investor averse to risk taking). Averse is most often used with "to" in a construction like "I am averse to…". Adverse shows up less often in this type of construction, describing a person instead of a thing, and should carry a meaning of "actively opposed to" rather that "has an aversion to".

 

In short, adverse refers to things or people which oppose one's own interests (adversity or an adversary); Averse refers for a person's dislike for something...an aversion.

Edited January 27, 2010 by MikeL

[C James]

Thank you for this, Mike; that's very useful! I find those two confusing at times.

[nightsky]

Thanks for making it easier to understand. I usually have to say it out loud a few times before I know which would I want to use. Unfortunately, during the grueling process of editing, it's pretty easy to get confused and you can't make heads or tails of things.

Not an author/writer/editor here or anything... but can we make requests?

 

Lay vs Lie.

 

Effect vs Affect.

 

kthxbai.

[sat8997]

Lay vs Lie

 

 

Affect vs Effect