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Adverse vs Destructive - What's the difference?

adverse | destructive | Related terms |

Adverse is a related term of destructive.


As adjectives the difference between adverse and destructive

is that adverse is 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 while destructive is causing destruction; damaging.

adverse

Adjective

(er)
  • 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
  • * Southey
  • Happy were it for us all if we bore prosperity as well and wisely as we endure an adverse fortune.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
  • , date=December 14 , author=Steven Morris , title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions. Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.}}
  • Opposed; contrary; opposing one's interests or desire.
  • adverse circumstances.
  • (not comparable) Opposite; confronting.
  • the adverse page
    the adverse party
  • * 1809 , , 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 that "has an aversion to".

    Derived terms

    * adversely * adverseness

    See also

    * averse

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    destructive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Causing destruction; damaging.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2013 , date=February 14 , author=Scott Tobias , title=Film: Reviews: A Good Day To Die Hard , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=After rescuing his estranged daughter in the last film, Live Free Or Die Hard, Willis heads to Russia to rescue his estranged son (Jai Courtney), a CIA agent on a mission to protect a whistleblower (Sebastian Koch) from a corrupt government official (Sergei Kolesnikov) with no shortage of destructive resources at his disposal.}}
  • Causing breakdown or disassembly.
  • Catabolism is a destructive metabolism which involves the break down of molecules and release of energy.

    Synonyms

    * calamitous * catastrophic * devastating * disastrous * eradicative * harmful * pernicious * ruinous * wrackful * wreckful

    Antonyms

    * constructive * nondestructive * productive