Adverse

How to spell adverse

7 letters · 2 syllables

1 of the 88 people asked to spell adverse in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.

How to pronounce adverse

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does adverse mean?

1. adjectiveActing against or in an unfavourable direction; harmful or unfavourable to someone's interests.

Adverse in a sentence

• The flight was cancelled because of adverse weather conditions.

• The new drug was withdrawn after several patients reported adverse reactions.

Where does adverse come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin adversus, which literally meant 'turned toward' or 'facing', and by extension 'hostile' or 'opposed'. It was the past participle of advertere, formed from ad- meaning 'to' or 'toward' and vertere meaning 'to turn', so the original image is of something turning to face you in opposition. English took it through Old French advers in the 1300s, keeping the sense of conditions or forces that work against you. The same vertere root powers a large family of English words, including 'convert', 'reverse', 'divert' and 'version', all carrying that idea of turning. The spelling trap is not the word itself but its close relative 'averse': adverse describes unfavourable circumstances, while averse (without the d) describes a person's reluctance, and the two are constantly muddled.

How the word is built

• ad- (to, toward)
• vers (from vertere: to turn)
• -e