aversion

[uh-vur-zhuhn, -shuhn]

noun

1. a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, repugnance, or antipathy (usually followed byto ).

   a strong aversion to snakes and spiders.

   Synonyms: disgust, abhorrence, distaste
   Antonyms: predilection

2. a cause or object of dislike; person or thing that causes antipathy.

   His pet aversion is guests who are always late.

3. Obsolete.,  the act of averting; a turning away or preventing.

aversion

/ əˈvɜːʃən /

noun

1. extreme dislike or disinclination; repugnance

2. a person or thing that arouses this

   he is my pet aversion

Word History and Origins

Origin of aversion¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin āversiōn-, stem of āversiō; equivalent to averse + -ion

Synonym Study

Aversion, antipathy, loathing connote strong dislike or detestation. Aversion is an unreasoning desire to avoid that which displeases, annoys, or offends: an aversion to (or toward ) cats. Antipathy is a distaste, dislike, or disgust toward something: an antipathy toward (or for ) braggarts. Loathing connotes a combination of hatred and disgust, or detestation: a loathing for (or toward ) hypocrisy, a criminal.

Example Sentences

Crispy spare ribs with a mango and fennel salad were delicious and inspired, despite my typical aversion to ribs.

From Salon

His brother was a quiet man who mostly "just wanted to be left alone", Mr Leggett remembers, and his aversion to technology made it difficult to stay in touch.

From BBC

He characterized the backlash against his song as an aversion to earnestness, one that no doubt existed at the time his single was climbing the charts.

From Salon

In an interview, MacArthur said, “It is a little strange that we have such an aversion to slavery.”

From Salon

And, given the film academy’s aversion to humor, it might surprise you to learn that she earned a lead actress nomination for the first “Bridget Jones” movie in 2002.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• allergy 
• animosity 
• antagonism 
• antipathy 
• dislike 
• dissatisfaction 
• distaste 
• hostility 
• loathing 
• opposition 
• reluctance 
• revulsion 
• unwillingness www.thesaurus.com