Word
odious
Phoneticsodi·ous
US/ˈoʊdiəs/
UK/ˈəʊdɪəs/
Definition
adj. extremely unpleasant or offensive. You use this to describe something that makes you feel very angry or disgusted.
adj. extremely offensive, repulsive, or hateful. Often used to describe laws, taxes, or behaviors that provoke intense public resentment.
Examples
“The new tax is an odious burden on small businesses.”
“The dictator's odious policies eventually led to widespread protests and the collapse of his government.”
“While the treaty was technically legal, its odious terms were widely condemned by international human rights organizations for their apparent disregard of basic civil liberties.”
Examples
simple
“The new tax is an odious burden on small businesses.”
contextual
“The dictator's odious policies eventually led to widespread protests and the collapse of his government.”
complex
“While the treaty was technically legal, its odious terms were widely condemned by international human rights organizations for their apparent disregard of basic civil liberties.”
Real-World Examples
“She needs a place to stay as she has just split up with an odious boyfriend.” Etymology
From Middle English odious, from Old French odieus, from Latin odiōsus, from odium (“hate”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/odious