different between abusive vs adverse

English

Etymology

First attested in the 1530s. From French abusif, from Latin ab?s?vus, from abusus + -ivus (“-ive”). Equivalent to abuse +? -ive.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??bju?.s?v/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??bju.s?v/, /??bju.z?v/

Adjective

abusive (comparative more abusive, superlative most abusive)

1. Prone to treat someone badly by coarse, insulting words or other maltreatment; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous. [First attested in the early 17th century.]

2. (obsolete) Tending to deceive; fraudulent. [Attested only from the early to mid 17th century.]
   • 1623, Francis Bacon, A Discourse of a War with Spain

     an abusive treaty

3. (archaic) Tending to misuse; practising or containing abuse. [First attested in the late 16th century.]
4. Being physically or emotionally injurious; characterized by repeated violence or other abuse.
5. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied; unjust; illegal. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
6. (archaic) Catachrestic. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]

Synonyms

• (prone to treating badly): reproachful, scurrilous, opprobrious, insolent, insulting, injurious, offensive, reviling, berating, vituperative

Derived terms

• abusively
• abusiveness

Translations

References

French

Adjective

abusive

1. feminine singular of abusif

Italian

Adjective

abusive

1. feminine plural of abusivo

Latin

Adjective

ab?s?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of ab?s?vus

References

• abusive in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

English

Etymology

First attested around 1374, from Old French avers (French adverse), from Latin adversus (“turned against”), past participle of advertere, from ad- (“to”) + vertere (“to turn”). See also versus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?æd.v?(?)s/, /?d?v?(?)s/

Adjective

adverse (comparative adverser, superlative adversest)

1. Unfavorable; antagonistic in purpose or effect; hostile; actively opposing one's interests or wishes; contrary to one's welfare; acting against; working in an opposing direction.

   adverse criticism

   • 1829, Robert Southey, Sir Thomas More; or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society

     Happy were it for us all if we bore prosperity as well and wisely as we endure an adverse fortune.
2. Opposed; contrary; opposing one's interests or desire.

3. (not comparable) Opposite; confronting.
   • 1809, Lord Byron, English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, Google Books

     Calpe's adverse height / […] must greet my sight

Usage notes

Adverse is sometimes confused with averse, though the meanings are somewhat different. Adverse most often refers to things, denoting something that is in opposition to someone's interests — something one might refer to as an adversity or adversary — (adverse winds; an attitude adverse to our ideals). Averse usually refers to people, and implies one has a distaste, disinclination, or aversion toward something (a leader averse to war; an investor averse to risk taking). Averse is most often used with "to" in a construction like "I am averse to…". Adverse shows up less often in this type of construction, describing a person instead of a thing, and should carry a meaning of "actively opposed to" rather than "has an aversion to".

Derived terms

• adversely
• adverseness
• adverse possession
• adverse yaw

Antonyms

• proverse

Related terms

• adversary
• adversative
• adversity
• versus

Translations

See also

• averse

Anagrams

• Deavers, Deveras, aversed, dreaves, evaders, re-saved, resaved, veredas

French

Etymology

From Latin adversus (“against, opposite”).

Adjective

adverse (plural adverses)

1. adverse

Further reading

• “adverse” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• déversa

Latin

Participle

adverse

1. vocative masculine singular of adversus

References

• adverse in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• adverse in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Spanish

Verb

adverse

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of adversar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of adversar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of adversar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of adversar.