What does “adverse” mean?
- 1
adjectiveharmful, negative or not helpful
The drug has few adverse effects.
- 2
adjectiveworking against you or making things difficult
The race was delayed because of adverse weather conditions.
Adverse at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /ædˈvɝs/ · ad-VURS
How to use “adverse” correctly
Don’t confuse with “averse” (unwilling): conditions are adverse, but a person is averse to risk.
Common phrases with “adverse”
- adverse effects
- adverse weather
- adverse impact on
- adversely affect
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- harmful
- unfavorable
- negative
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- favorable
- beneficial
Word family
- adversely
- adversity
- adversary
“adverse” is on these word lists
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