averse

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: a=verse

CIDE DICTIONARY

averse, a. [L. aversus, p. p. of avertere. See Avert.].

•  Turned away or backward.  [1913 Webster]

  "The tracks averse a lying notice gave,
  And led the searcher backward from the cave."  [1913 Webster]
•  Having a repugnance or opposition of mind; disliking; disinclined; unwilling; reluctant.  [1913 Webster]

  " The prevailing usage now is to employ to after averse and its derivatives rather than from, as was formerly the usage. In this the word is in agreement with its kindred terms, hatred, dislike, dissimilar, contrary, repugnant, etc., expressing a relation or an affection of the mind to an object."  [1913 Webster]

  "Averse alike to flatter, or offend."  [1913 Webster]

  "Men who were averse to the life of camps."  [1913 Webster]

  "Pass by securely as men averse from war."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Averse, Reluctant, Adverse.

averse, v. t. & i. 

 To turn away.  B. Jonson.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

averse, predic.adj. (often foll. by to, from) opposed, disinclined (was not averse to helping me).

Usage

Construction with to is now more common.

Etymology

L aversus (as AVERT)

THESAURUS

averse

abhorrent, afraid, allergic, anti, antipathetic, at odds, averse to, backward, balky, contrary, cursory, differing, disaffected, disagreeing, disenchanted, disgusted, disinclined, disobedient, displeased, forced, fractious, hating, hesitant, hostile, ill-disposed, indisposed, indocile, involuntary, loath, loathing, mutinous, not charmed, opposed, perfunctory, perverse, put off, quailing, recalcitrant, recoiling, refractory, reluctant, resistant, shrinking, sulky, sullen, uncongenial, unconsenting, uneager, unfriendly, unsympathetic, unwilling

ROGET THESAURUS

averse

Unwillingness

N unwillingness, indisposition, indisposedness, disinclination, aversation, nolleity, nolition, renitence, renitency, reluctance, indifference, backwardness, slowness, want of alacrity, want of readiness, indocility, scrupulousness, scrupulosity, qualms of conscience, twinge of conscience, delicacy, demur, scruple, qualm, shrinking, recoil, hesitation, fastidiousness, averseness, dissent, refusal, unwilling, not in the vein, loth, loath, shy of, disinclined, indisposed, averse, reluctant, not content, adverse, laggard, backward, remiss, slack, slow to, indifferent, scrupulous, squeamish, repugnant, restiff, restive, demurring, unconsenting, involuntary, unwillingly, grudgingly, with a heavy heart, with a bad, with an ill grace, against one's wishes, against one's will, against the grain, sore against one's wishes, sore against one's will, sore against one's grain, invita Minerva, a contre caeur, malgre soi, in spite of one's teeth, in spite of oneself, nolens volens, perforce, under protest, no, not for the world, far be it from me.

Dissuasion

N dissuasion, dehortation, expostulation, remonstrance, deprecation, discouragement, damper, wet blanket, disillusionment, disenchantment, cohibition, curb, check, reluctance, contraindication, dissuading, dissuasive, dehortatory, expostulatory, monitive, monitory, dissuaded, admonitory, uninduced &c (induce), unpersuadable, averse, repugnant, repressed.