Synonyms of adverse

adverse

adjective

ad-ˈvərs 

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

• unfavorable
• negative
• hostile
• detrimental
• harmful
• damaging
• destructive
• threatening
• prejudicial
• disadvantageous
• bad
• untoward
• inimical
• counter
• unfriendly
• hazardous
• dangerous
• unsympathetic
• risky
• conflicting
• deleterious
• injurious
• fatal
• opposing
• baneful
• poisonous
• unsafe
• lethal
• troublesome
• pernicious
• offensive
• malignant
• evil
• ruinous
• perilous
• noxious
• baleful
• hurtful
• unhealthy
• ill
• resistant
• murderous
• antagonistic
• resisting
• scathing
• slanderous
• uncongenial
• defamatory
• inhospitable
• uncooperative
• imperilling
• parlous
• wounding
• intolerant
• jeopardizing
• competing
• detractive
• imperiling
• calumnious
• counteracting
• antipathetic
• countering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• favorable
• positive
• advantageous
• sympathetic
• beneficial
• supportive
• friendly
• good
• useful
• helpful
• propitious
• harmless
• innocuous
• innocent
• nonfatal
• well-disposed
• inoffensive
• nonthreatening
• nondestructive
• tolerant
• benign
• nonlethal
• agreeable
• understanding
• friendly
• congenial
• complying
• amiable
• cordial
• hospitable
• amicable
• affable
• unresistant
• benignant

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

• detrimental
• harmful
• damaging
• dangerous
• bad
• deleterious
• hazardous
• injurious
• prejudicial
• poisonous
• pernicious
• baneful
• infectious
• noxious
• evil
• hurtful
• hostile
• wicked
• mischievous
• baleful
• ill
• nocuous
• destructive
• deadly
• unsafe
• venomous
• threatening
• infective
• lethal
• risky
• sinister
• inimical
• ominous
• unfriendly
• insidious
• fatal
• perilous
• menacing
• contagious
• pestilential
• unhealthful
• malignant
• unwholesome
• pestiferous
• ruinous
• unsound
• unhealthy
• pestilent
• killer
• nasty
• imperilling
• parlous
• jeopardizing
• imperiling
• noisome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• benign
• beneficial
• favorable
• harmless
• safe
• advantageous
• innocuous
• useful
• innocent
• good
• inoffensive
• propitious
• salutary
• helpful
• remedial
• healthful
• healthy
• anodyne
• curative
• wholesome
• salubrious
• sound
• palliative
• secure
• hurtless
• benignant
• nonfatal
• noninfectious
• nonlethal
• nontoxic
• noncorrosive
• nondestructive
• nonpoisonous
• nonpolluting
• nonvenomous

Examples of adverse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ukraine has proved that motivated defenders can block aggressors even under adverse conditions. —Justin Logan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Aug. 2024

Oatmeal baths can soothe symptoms of itching and inflammation in adults, children, and babies under 2 years of age with a low risk of adverse effects.7 Acne Home Remedies to Add to Your Skin-Care Rotation When Would an Oatmeal Bath Make Symptoms Worse? —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2024

Anyone with questions or whose child has experienced adverse effects associated with the recall should contact Perrigo at 1-800-538-9543. —Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Aug. 2024

One of the most helpful aspects of this supplement is its ability to reduce arthritic pain to a degree comparable to using NSAID therapy, like ibuprofen, but without the risk of adverse effects like GI bleeding. —Kelsey Kunik, Rd, Health, 10 Aug. 2024