Meaning & use
aversive
Last updated
Causing avoidance or a strong feeling of dislike; tending to discourage a particular behavior through unpleasantness.
See it in a sentence
Researchers used a mild aversive stimulus to discourage the unwanted behavior.
The bitter taste acts as an aversive cue that keeps animals from eating the plant.
A note on using this word
Common in psychology, especially in the term "aversive conditioning," where an unpleasant stimulus is used to reduce a behavior.
Words with a similar meaning
unpleasantrepellent
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
appealingpleasant
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aversive”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.