adverse

adjective

ad-ˈvərs How to pronounce adverse (audio)
Definition of adversenext
1
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests all the adverse publicity really caused the movie star's popularity to suffer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detrimental
causing or capable of causing harm the adverse effects of the drug are too severe to allow it to be marketed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adverse The products were largely designed as a harm reduction tool to help smokers transition from combustible cigarettes to a nicotine product with fewer adverse health effects. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026 While a little ubiquity goes a long way in Ad Land, the adverse effects of overstaying one’s welcome will eventually undermine the gains made on the ROI front. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Holtec Nuclear withdrew its IPO earlier this month citing adverse market sentiment in equity markets. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz,april Roach, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026 Anyone experiencing illness or adverse health effects after using the products are asked to seek medical attention immediately. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adverse
  1. unfavorable
  2. detrimental
  3. negative
  4. harmful
  5. hostile
  6. damaging
  7. dangerous
  8. bad
Adjective
  • The polling situation was similarly unfavorable to Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 and 2018 elections, but relatively minor in comparison with the disparity in tonight's electoral results.
    — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • None of those circumstances turns an unfavorable employment decision into an unlawful one automatically.
    — William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfavorable
Adjective
  • That's on the heels of a 41-7 blowout at Northwestern that was ugly enough for Deion Sanders to dismiss a handful of players for conduct detrimental to the team days later.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • To that point, Carter wrote that if the NFL’s relationship with Fanatics were detrimental to the marketplace, there would be higher prices for consumers.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of detrimental
Adjective
  • Multifamily apartment REITs are still in negative territory, as the sector continues to work through a period of oversupply and weaker rents.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Ultimately, the result is a negative impact on a learning experience that students will be paying for into their 60s.
    — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of negative
Adjective
  • While the baits are not harmful to pets, eating several may cause mild stomach upset.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The film primarily follows Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a Facebook employee in the company’s civic integrity team, the group tasked with making sure Facebook acts responsibly and avoids the harmful impacts of its product.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • Still, her willingness to enjoy a hostile road crowd offers a useful perspective in a league where interactions with spectators have become such a consuming subject.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the approval didn’t include hostile actions that go against international law.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • But for the most part, both are getting their points across, landing a few licks and, so far, avoiding the sort of major gaffe or damaging moment that could reshape the race.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The region stretching from North Dakota to Texas contains a large share of the country’s beef production, Hanson said, making prolonged drought there particularly damaging.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of damaging
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the financial clout of the industry has grown considerably, resulting in a new, more dangerous problem.
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Attempting to de-escalate the scare, Rospotrebnadzor declared the regional sanitary situation stable after secondary testing showed no traces of dangerous pathogens linked to Shipilova’s research.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Adjective
  • But then came the nightmare of Game 3, one of the Sox’s worst performances in weeks.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, people with worse fever tended to have more of a protein called flagellin in their systems than those with little to no fever.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bad

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adversary
adverse
adversely
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Cite this Entry

“Adverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adverse. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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