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Prepositions after adjectives

Averse to, in, or from?

Averse is normally followed by to. Averse in and averse from are not standard combinations in current English.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct after averse?

Use averse to to describe dislike or opposition to something. Averse in and averse from are generally not idiomatic after this adjective.

She is averse to risk.
They remain averse to major changes.
He is averse to speaking in public.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
averse to + noun

Dislike or opposition

Use averse to before a noun to express strong dislike or resistance.

Many investors are averse to uncertainty.
She is averse to conflict.
2
averse to + -ing form

Resistance to an activity

Averse to is also followed by a gerund.

He is averse to travelling alone.
They are averse to taking unnecessary risks.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
averse to
The manager is averse to delays.
standard pattern meaning opposed or resistant to something
averse in
He is averse in meetings.
not a standard combination after averse; in may instead introduce separate location information
averse from
They are averse from change.
nonstandard in current English; use averse to instead
opposed to
She is opposed to the proposal.
a useful alternative with a similar meaning

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using averse from

Modern English uses averse to, not averse from.

✕ He is averse from criticism. ✓ He is averse to criticism.

Using averse in as a fixed pattern

In does not normally follow averse directly as its complement.

✕ She is averse in taking risks. ✓ She is averse to taking risks.

Forgetting the gerund

Use an -ing form after to when describing an action.

✕ They are averse to invest. ✓ They are averse to investing.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She is averse ___ unnecessary spending.
2. They are averse to ___ overtime.
3. Which sentence is standard English?

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Frequently asked questions

Is averse to formal?

Yes. Averse is more formal than words like dislike or reluctant.

Can averse be followed by a verb?

Yes, but use the -ing form: averse to doing something.

Is averse from ever correct?

It is generally considered nonstandard in modern English.

abhorrent-to-in-for-of, about "ablaze with" or "ablaze in"? "able for" or "able in"? "abreast of" or "abreast with"? "absent from" or "absent in"? absolute in, for, of, to or as? "absurd to", "absurd in" or "absurd for"? abundant in, with, of, on or for? "abusive to", "abusive in" or "abusive towards"? "academic in" or "academic at"? "acceptable to" or "acceptable for"? accessible to, by, for, from or in?

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