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 Studies have shown that too much milk can lead to obesity and even cardiovascular disease and can have adverse effects on overall mortality. — Fatma Tanis, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 To report adverse reactions to the FDA, consumers can visit the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 The second is that patients with high-risk conditions are also being forced to continue — often resulting in adverse outcomes for their pregnancies. — David N. Hackney, STAT, 26 Aug. 2026 The unregulated status quo is unlikely to hold as volume grows and adverse events accumulate. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 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
  • Among Republicans, 10% now give him an unfavorable rating, and among independents, 51%- 42% have an unfavorable view.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • First responders also urge residents not to enter the water at all when swimming is prohibited, especially during unfavorable weather.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfavorable
Adjective
  • Being full of yourself isn’t detrimental but necessary for survival.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The settlement also requires limits on features that some experts believe are detrimental to teenagers’ self-esteem and self-image.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of detrimental
Adjective
  • Arjun Bhatia, an analyst at William Blair who recommends buying Salesforce shares, said investors who turned negative on cloud software companies or eliminated their exposure altogether due to AI concerns, are starting to come back.
    — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Much like Big Tobacco was forced to admit that cigarettes can cause cancer or Purdue Pharma was forced to stop downplaying the risks of OxyContin, this agreement now puts Meta’s core products in a negative light.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of negative
Adjective
  • California was among dozens of states that sued Meta in 2023, alleging in a lawsuit that the social media giant intentionally designed harmful and addictive features to hook children while misleading the public about the dangers.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The report said the company was strengthening its research infrastructure, increasing monitoring and improving safeguards designed to prevent harmful or unintended behavior.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • Forecasters said the system is expected to be short-lived because of hostile environmental conditions starting on Friday that will prevent it from developing further.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Electronic warfare systems such as NGJ-MB are carried by aircraft and use advanced electronics to interfere with or counter hostile electromagnetic systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Missing, say, 30 games would likely not be as damaging as missing half a season, or a whole season.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Strong El Niño events, such as the one revving up in the tropical Pacific, have rarely spared the Golden State from significant and damaging consequences.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of damaging
Adjective
  • Heaping credit onto Espada is dangerous, but so is blaming him for every game that goes awry.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That’s a dangerous prospect for any country, but especially for Singapore, crammed into a space smaller than New York City.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Adjective
  • Poor Anton has been left out of the drama all day, an effort by Billie and Samir to prevent an already bad futzing from escalating to something severe, and that’s never where Anton likes to be.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Although rarely seen, its reemergence earlier this summer is a signal of how bad the region’s ongoing drought has gotten, as well as a warning for the difficult months ahead.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of bad

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Cite this Entry

“Adverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adverse. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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