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Adverse and averse may cause you trouble
because they’re only one letter away from being the
same word. They can also put you in a pickle because
their meanings are strikingly similar, and misusing
them could convey some offensive meanings.
Adverse is
used to describe something that is opposite or
unfavorable, usually an event or effect.
Adverse is generally not used for people.
Ex.
The article "Tragedy Waiting: Medication Issues in
Mental Heath" addresses the tragic and costly
problem of adverse drug reactions.
Ex. The UHV Jaguars'
game was postponed due to the adverse weather
conditions.
Averse is
used to describe someone’s feelings of disgust or
resistance towards something.
Ex.
In Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas, the
character Thomas Llewelyn is averse to a
thrice weekly diet of Chinese food, although he
confesses his employer's food preferences enabled
him to learn the subtleties of the cuisine.
Ex.
While the politician favored the war, he was
averse to the draft.
A quick way to keep the
differences in mind is to consider the noun form of
these words:
Adverse=Adversity
Adversity
is a challenge or an obstacle
Averse=Aversion
Aversion
is a feeling you have towards things you avoid
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