adverse
Unhelpful or harmful; working against you.
adverse in a sentence
- The match was cancelled because of adverse weather: thunder, hail and howling wind.
- The little plane could not take off in such adverse conditions, with thick fog rolling across the runway.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to adverse?
- Afavourable
- Bgood
- Chelpful
- Dharmful
Show the answer
D: harmful. The other three mean the opposite of adverse.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to adverse?
- Aunfavourable
- Bharmful
- Cdamaging
- Dhelpful
Show the answer
D: helpful. The other three mean nearly the same as adverse.
Words that mean something similar
harmful, damaging, unfavourable
Words that mean the opposite
helpful, good, favourable
More words about weather & nature
- arid: Very dry, with almost no rain at all.
- atrocious: Extremely bad or unpleasant.
- bleak: Cold, empty and without much hope.
- conserve: To protect something from harm, or to save it from being wasted.
- cultivate: To grow plants, or to work at improving something.
- dreary: Dull, grey and boring.
- drenched: Completely soaked with water.
- drought: A long time with little or no rain, when the land dries out.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test