aversion

UK: /əˈvɜː^rʃ^ən/ US: /əˈvɝʒən, -ʃən/ ,(ə vûr′zhən, -shən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

a•ver•sion /əˈvɜrʒən, -ʃən/   n. [countable]

1. a strong feeling of dislike, disgust, or hatred toward something and a desire to avoid it:
   She has an aversion to snakes.
2. a cause or object of such a feeling:
   Snakes are an aversion of hers.

See -vert-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

a•ver•sion  (ə vûr′zhən, -shən), n. 

1. a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, repugnance, or antipathy (usually fol. by to):
   a strong aversion to snakes and spiders.
2. a cause or object of dislike;
   person or thing that causes antipathy:
   His pet aversion is guests who are always late.
3. [Obs.] the act of averting;
   a turning away or preventing.

• Latin āversiōn- (stem of āversiō), equivalent. to āvers(us) turned away (see averse) + -iōn- -ion
• 1590–1600

Synonyms

• 1. distaste, abhorrence, disgust.
  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.

Antonyms

• 1. predilection.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

aversion / əˈvɜːʃən/ noun

1. usually followed by to or for: extreme dislike or disinclination; repugnance
2. a person or thing that arouses this: he is my pet aversion