What is the difference between ‘averse’ and ‘adverse’?
(B. Rajasekhar, Tiruchirapalli)
If you are ‘averse’ to something, you are strongly opposed to it. You disapprove of it, and are therefore reluctant or disinclined to do it. The word is usually followed by ‘to’. In British English, ‘averse’ has the stress on the second syllable.
My friend Kalpana is averse to any form of exercise.
Like most politicians, he is not averse to publicity.
‘Adverse’, on the other hand, means ‘having negative or harmful effect on something’. When something adverse happens, something ‘unfavourable’ takes place. The word is normally used to refer to external circumstances.
They decided to call off the match due to adverse weather conditions.
The British put the stress on the first syllable, and the Americans put it on the second.
