adversative
adjective/ədˈvɜːsətɪv/
/ədˈvɜːrsətɪv/
(grammar)- (of a word or phrase) expressing something that is opposed to or the opposite of what has been said
- the adversative conjunction ‘but’
Word Originlate Middle English: from French adversatif, -ive or late Latin adversativus, from Latin adversari ‘oppose’, from adversus ‘against, opposite’, past participle of advertere, from ad- ‘to’ + vertere ‘to turn’.Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
adversative