Skip to content

adverse

opposing, adverse

adjective ahd-VAIRS Rare

Origin: From Latin 'adversus' (turned against).

Usage Note

Adverse is an invariable adjective in French (same form for masculine and feminine), typically used in formal or legal language — la partie adverse ('the opposing party') or des conditions adverses ('adverse conditions'). It is a direct cognate and false-friend trap: the English 'adverse' and French adverse mean the same, but the French averse (unrelated) means a downpour of rain.

Examples

"L'équipe adverse a marqué en fin de match."

Natural Translation

The opposing team scored at the end of the match.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic