aversive: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Formal, Academic, Technical
Quick answer
What does “aversive” mean?
Causing avoidance or a strong feeling of dislike.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Causing avoidance or a strong feeling of dislike; tending to repel.
Relating to or being a stimulus that is unpleasant or punishing, leading to avoidance behaviour. In psychology, it describes techniques or stimuli used to discourage unwanted behaviour.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is consistent.
Connotations
Strongly associated with behavioural psychology and conditioning in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both varieties, confined primarily to technical and academic registers.
Grammar
How to Use “aversive” in a Sentence
be/become/seem + aversive (to somebody)find/consider + something + aversiveuse/employ + aversive + techniquesVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “aversive” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The treatment aims to aversively condition the patient against the harmful substance.
- They sought to aversively train the animal.
American English
- The protocol is designed to aversively condition a response.
- The method aversively modifies behaviour.
adverb
British English
- The stimulus was applied aversively to discourage the behaviour.
- He reacted aversively to the proposed changes.
American English
- The treatment works by pairing the behaviour aversively with an unpleasant outcome.
- She responded aversively to the criticism.
adjective
British English
- The loud noise served as an aversive stimulus in the experiment.
- Many find the politician's rhetoric deeply aversive.
American English
- The researcher applied an aversive consequence for the incorrect behaviour.
- The smell was so aversive it caused immediate nausea.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might be used in HR contexts, e.g., 'The new policy had an aversive effect on staff morale.'
Academic
Common in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural sciences. 'The study measured the subject's response to aversive stimuli.'
Everyday
Very rare. A more common word like 'unpleasant' or 'off-putting' would be used.
Technical
Core usage. Precisely denotes a stimulus that functions as a punisher to decrease behaviour frequency.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “aversive”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “aversive”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “aversive”
- Using it as a noun (e.g., 'He felt an aversive' - incorrect; noun is 'aversion').
- Confusing it with 'adverse' (meaning unfavourable or harmful, but not necessarily causing active avoidance).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a formal, technical word most common in psychology and related fields. In everyday speech, words like 'unpleasant', 'off-putting', or 'repellent' are more frequent.
'Adverse' means unfavourable or harmful (e.g., adverse weather, adverse effects). 'Aversive' specifically describes something that causes active avoidance or dislike, often used in the context of behaviour and stimuli.
No. The noun form is 'aversion'. 'Aversive' is primarily an adjective (e.g., an aversive stimulus). The adverb is 'aversively'.
It is a behavioural technique where an unwanted behaviour is paired with an unpleasant stimulus to reduce the frequency of that behaviour.
Causing avoidance or a strong feeling of dislike.
Aversive is usually formal, academic, technical in register.
Aversive: in British English it is pronounced /əˈvɜːsɪv/, and in American English it is pronounced /əˈvɜːrsɪv/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this word.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of AVERSION (a strong dislike). AVERSIVE is the adjective form - something that CAUSES an aversion.
Conceptual Metaphor
AVOIDANCE IS PHYSICAL REPULSION (e.g., 'repelled by the idea', 'shrink from the task').
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'aversive' most precisely and frequently used?