Micro-listening
Adverse or Averse: Choose the Right Word
Can I use adverse to describe a person who dislikes something?
Adverse means unfavorable, harmful, or acting against success. It describes conditions, events, outcomes, and physical reactions. Averse means disinclined, reluctant, or having a strong dislike. It describes people or groups and regularly connects to the thing they dislike using the preposition to.
Key points
- Use adverse when describing a harmful situation, obstacle, or consequence.
- Use averse when naming a person's reluctance or unwillingness, and remember to follow it with to.
- Asking whether the subject is a difficult condition or a human feeling clarifies the choice immediately.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
The construction crew halted work because of adverse weather conditions on the bridge.
Why it works: Adverse modifies weather conditions to show that the outdoor environment was unsafe.
3 more examples
-
Our operations director is averse to approving untested software before the busy holiday season.
Averse describes the director's personal reluctance and connects to approving with to.
-
Rising transport costs had an adverse impact on our quarterly profit margins.
Adverse describes the harmful financial impact on the business.
-
Many conservative investors remain averse to speculative digital currencies.
Averse identifies the investors' hesitation and preference to avoid financial risk.
Read the full guide
Identify Harmful Conditions with Adverse
When you want to describe an external situation that causes difficulty, harm, or delay, select the word adverse. It functions as an adjective that usually sits right in front of a noun. You will see it paired with words such as weather, consequences, circumstances, effects, and reactions. Notice that the condition itself is negative or hostile, but it does not have personal feelings. If an unexpected storm damages crops or closes roads, the weather creates an adverse environment for travel.
-
The ferry service stopped due to adverse sea conditions.
Why it works: Adverse describes the dangerous sea state rather than a person's mood.
-
The new tax policy produced an adverse effect on small retail shops.
Why it works: Adverse modifies effect to show a harmful business result.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly describes a harmful business situation?
Answer: The firm suffered adverse market losses after the sudden crisis.
Show the answer
Answer: The firm suffered adverse market losses after the sudden crisis.
Adverse describes the harmful or unfavorable business conditions that caused losses.
Describe Reluctance or Dislike with Averse
When you need to describe how a person or a team feels about an activity, use averse. This adjective describes an attitude of strong hesitation, dislike, or opposition. It describes human reluctance rather than an external obstacle. People who feel averse want to stay away from a specific choice or risk. You will usually place this adjective after a linking verb like be, seem, or remain when stating someone's preference.
-
Marcus is averse to working late on Friday evenings.
Why it works: Averse describes Marcus and his personal unwillingness to work late.
-
Many cautious buyers remain averse to taking out large bank loans.
Why it works: Averse shows the buyers' reluctance to accept debt.
You can practise this again in Adjective clauses: choose the right word and Insane Meaning: Choose the Right Word.
Your turn
Which sentence expresses a person's hesitation or dislike?
Answer: Elena is averse to signing contracts without legal advice.
Show the answer
Answer: Elena is averse to signing contracts without legal advice.
Averse describes Elena's personal attitude and reluctance to sign without advice.
Connect Averse with the Preposition To
The adjective averse almost always needs the preposition to directly after it to introduce the target of reluctance. English learners sometimes borrow prepositions from their first language, choosing from, against, or with by mistake. Remember that the fixed English construction is averse to something. Omitting the preposition or replacing it with for makes the sentence sound unnatural to native speakers in both formal emails and everyday conversations.
-
Our manager is not averse to hiring remote staff from other cities.
Why it works: Averse connects directly to the preposition to before the activity.
-
My parents are averse to sudden changes in their daily routine.
Why it works: The preposition to links the adjective to the noun phrase.
Your turn
Which preposition correctly follows averse in this sentence?
Answer: We are not averse to trying the new office schedule.
Show the answer
Answer: We are not averse to trying the new office schedule.
Averse pairs with the preposition to when introducing what someone dislikes or hesitates about.
Select Nouns or Gerunds After Averse To
Because the word to after averse is a preposition rather than part of an infinitive, you must follow it with a noun phrase or an -ing verb form. Never use a bare base verb after averse to. If you are describing an action that someone dislikes, add -ing to that action verb. For example, write averse to flying rather than averse to fly. Treating to as an infinitive marker is one of the most frequent grammar mistakes on proficiency tests.
-
The board members are averse to investing in unproven software.
Why it works: The verb invest takes an -ing ending because to is a preposition here.
-
Julian is averse to public speaking in large lecture halls.
Why it works: Public speaking serves as a noun phrase after the preposition.
Your turn
Which verb form completes the sentence: 'She is averse to ____ long distances alone'?
Answer: driving
Show the answer
Answer: driving
Because to functions as a preposition here, it must be followed by an -ing verb form.
Distinguish Difficult Conditions from Attitudes
A single sentence can easily mention both an unfavorable situation and a person's reaction to that situation. To keep your meaning clear, assign adverse to the external circumstance and averse to the human attitude. Adverse modifies the problem, while averse connects the person to their reluctance. Thinking about agency helps you decide: weather, side effects, and budget cuts are adverse, whereas travelers, patients, and managers can be averse to dealing with them.
-
Due to adverse road conditions, the truck driver was averse to driving through the mountain pass.
Why it works: Adverse describes the icy road, while averse describes the driver's unwillingness to drive.
-
The startup faced adverse economic trends, but the founders were not averse to risk.
Why it works: Economic trends are adverse, and founders are not averse to taking risks.
Your turn
Choose the sentence that correctly uses both words:
Answer: Adverse winds made the sailor averse to leaving the harbor today.
Show the answer
Answer: Adverse winds made the sailor averse to leaving the harbor today.
Adverse modifies the bad winds, and averse describes the sailor's personal hesitation.
Notice Stress and Vowel Sounds in Speech
When listening to spoken English, you can tell these two words apart by where the speaker places vocal stress. Adverse usually receives heavy primary stress on the first syllable, sounding like AD-verse. In contrast, averse puts its main stress on the second syllable, sounding like a-VERSE, with a short unstressed vowel at the start. Training your ear to listen for the stressed initial syllable will help you catch adverse even when spoken rapidly during news broadcasts.
-
The pilot announced that adverse weather would delay our arrival.
Why it works: The speaker stresses the first syllable AD-verse before the noun weather.
-
Our director is averse to making promises before contracts are final.
Why it works: The speaker stresses the second syllable a-VERSE after the linking verb is.
Your turn
Which syllable receives the primary stress in the word averse?
Answer: The second syllable
Show the answer
Answer: The second syllable
Averse is pronounced with the main stress on the second syllable: a-VERSE.
Avoid Using Adverse to Describe Feelings
A frequent mistake among intermediate learners is writing statements like I am adverse to that suggestion. Adverse describes an objective, harmful condition or an unfavorable effect on something else, not a person's inner reluctance. Unless you mean that your physical presence causes harm to that suggestion, you must use averse. Reserve adverse for negative impacts, toxic reactions, and challenging environments, keeping human attitudes separate in your drafts.
-
Incorrect: Many local citizens are adverse to building a new highway.
Why it works: This error wrongly uses adverse to describe a human opinion.
-
Correct: Many local citizens are averse to building a new highway.
Why it works: Averse correctly indicates that the citizens oppose or dislike the building plan.
Your turn
What is incorrect about: 'The patient was adverse to taking extra pills'?
Answer: Adverse should be replaced by averse because it describes personal reluctance.
Show the answer
Answer: Adverse should be replaced by averse because it describes personal reluctance.
Personal feelings and unwillingness require averse, not adverse.
Use Compounds and Everyday Alternatives Confidently
In everyday workplace English, averse often combines with nouns using a hyphen to create descriptive compounds. The most common example is risk-averse, which describes an investor or organization that avoids taking chances. However, in casual conversations, native speakers often prefer simpler phrases such as not keen on, reluctant to, or unwilling to instead of averse. Learning when to choose a simpler phrase prevents your daily speech from sounding overly stiff.
-
Conservative banks are usually risk-averse during economic downturns.
Why it works: The compound adjective risk-averse cleanly describes an attitude of avoiding danger.
-
She is not keen on working on weekends when family visits.
Why it works: Not keen on is a natural, conversational alternative to averse to.
Your turn
What does it mean if a manager is described as 'risk-averse'?
Answer: The manager prefers caution and tries to avoid taking risks.
Show the answer
Answer: The manager prefers caution and tries to avoid taking risks.
Risk-averse means someone has an attitude of avoiding risks and seeking safety.
Questions about "Adverse or Averse: Choose the Right Word"
Can I use adverse to describe a person who dislikes something?
No, adverse should not describe a person's feelings or preferences. Adverse describes unfavorable conditions, harmful side effects, or difficult situations that happen to someone. When you want to describe a person who dislikes an activity or opposes a plan, use averse followed by the preposition to.
Dr. Patel is averse to approving untested medical treatments.
The stormy crossing caused adverse effects on several passengers.
Why do we say averse to instead of averse from or averse against?
In modern standard English, averse fixedly takes the preposition to. While you might encounter averse from in older British literature from centuries past, contemporary English across the world universally expects averse to. Using from or against will be marked incorrect in exams and workplace writing.
Our finance director is not averse to exploring alternative payment providers.
Can I use an infinitive base verb like 'work' after averse to?
No, you must never use a base verb directly after averse to. In this grammatical structure, the word to is a preposition rather than an infinitive particle. Prepositions in English are followed by nouns, pronouns, or gerunds ending in -ing. Therefore, you should say averse to working or averse to change.
Many experienced engineers are averse to changing software mid-project.
What does the hyphenated term risk-averse mean in business reports?
Risk-averse functions as a compound adjective describing someone who dislikes uncertainty and actively tries to avoid financial or strategic danger. You will often see it used to describe cautious investors, conservative banks, or careful planners who prioritize security over high potential gains.
The pension fund adopts a risk-averse investment strategy to protect retirees.
Before you go
Remember this
Use adverse when describing a harmful situation, obstacle, or consequence. Use averse when naming a person's reluctance or unwillingness, and remember to follow it with to. Asking whether the subject is a difficult condition or a human feeling clarifies the choice immediately.
Stage 2 of 5
Listen
Hear it in real sentences, from short to long, and write what you hear.
0 of 4 done
Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
The sudden storm caused adverse effects on coastal shipping.
Adverse describes the harmful physical effects that the storm produced on ships.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
Our senior banker is averse, especially to unverified ventures.
Averse describes the banker's personal attitude of reluctance toward risky business ventures.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- A small word like this is said quickly and softly, not as written.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- A small word like this is said quickly and softly, not as written.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- A small word like this is said quickly and softly, not as written.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
Heavy snow created adverse operating conditions across the northern valley, so local delivery trucks paused until morning.
Adverse modifies operating conditions to highlight the difficult physical environment created by the snow.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
0:00
Read the transcript
Sudden freezing rain created adverse operational conditions across our regional hub early this morning. Several incoming planes flew toward inland airfields, while ground crews suspended baggage handling outdoors. The station manager remains averse to risking worker safety on icy tarmac surfaces. We will resume flight operations as soon as local airport authorities reopen runway three.
Adverse describes the dangerous weather conditions, while averse describes the manager's reluctance to compromise worker safety.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Practice complete
You listened closely.
Your result is saved in this browser.
Keep your progress. Your practice is saved on this device only. Create a free account to keep it everywhere.
Create a free accountThat was today's free lesson. Tomorrow you get another one. Want more today? See membership.
Create a free SubLearn account to keep this progress across devices.
Save my progressStage 3 of 5
Speak
Say it with the speaker, then use it in your own answer.
Shadow
Say it along with the speaker
The sudden storm caused adverse effects on coastal shipping.
Play the line slowly, then speak at the same time as the speaker. Copy the rhythm, not just the words.
Your turn
Say it your way
Explain a time when bad weather or difficult conditions made you or a colleague reluctant to travel or begin a project.
Use: adverse or Averse: Choose the Right Word
You could start with “When adverse weather hit our area, my team was averse to…”
Think for ten seconds, then answer out loud for as long as the task above asks, without looking at the lesson. Nothing is sent unless you ask for feedback.
0:00
Stage 4 of 5
Write
Write about your own day or week using it, then write a message.
Write
Put it in your own words
- I used “adverse or Averse: Choose the Right Word”.
- It is about my life, not the lesson’s example.
- I read it once aloud to check it sounds right.
Write your own response
Choose a situation and write 30–50 words in your own wording. This is separate from typing the exact words in a recording.
Check your own writing
Read one possible response
Use these checks to revise your message. Grammar and meaning are not automatically graded. Each task keeps its own draft in this browser tab.
You finished the free part of this lesson
- Understand
- Listen
- Speak
- Write
- CheckPart of membership
Worth another look
With a free account, the lessons you finish come back for review to help you remember them.Create a free account
Stage 5 of 5 · Part of membership
Check
New clips without hints.
Listening tests are included with membership. Try the free dictation first, then decide whether to continue.
Listening 1 of 2 Part of membership
Listening 2 of 2 Part of membership
Follow MicroEnglish
New lessons, short videos and quick quizzes every day. Pick the app you already use.
Questions & comments
Ask about this lesson, share an example, or help another learner.
Example
Memory tip
Goes with
Related forms
Not to be confused with
In this lesson
This word isn't in our dictionary. Check the spelling, or try another form of the word.
We couldn't load this word. Try again.
