IT'S ALL IN THE "d"

Adverse and Averse


Commonly, we see the words adverse and averse used incorrectly; although they have SIMILAR meanings and are both adjectives, they are quite different and cannot be used interchangeably.


Adverse means bad or negative
Averse means opposed or against


Understanding this, one cannot be "adverse" to something as in "I am adverse to lippy teenagers" because that would translate to "I am BAD to lippy teenagers" which clearly does not make sense. 


CORRECT USE: I am averse to lippy teenagers.


Conversely, one does not have an "averse" reaction to something as in "I had an averse reaction to the lippy teenager" because that would translate to "I had an AGAINST reaction to the lippy teenager" which again, does not make sense.


CORRECT USE: I had an ADVERSE reaction to the lippy teenager.


Substituting the synonyms for ADVERSE AND AVERSE in your sentences will help you determine which word to use and lead you to use these words correctly...consistently!