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odious

odious

20 8.2
Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel strong dislike
  • adjective
  • /ˈoʊdiəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : odioso
  • After hearing her odious comments about the homeless, I couldn't stand her anymore.
  • odious music
  • odious regimes
  • odious doctrine

I mean, you showed us that these guys were these terrible Nazis, they were odious, etcetera, etcetera.

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Examples

  • Together with that, his manifest incompetence rendered him odious in the eyes of the political nation.

  • The others seemed odious to me.

  • What is that odious man doing?

  • Yes, someone else would watch it and find him odious and unacceptable.

  • Such was the odious spectacle that first met my eyes.

  • Apparently, she is truly as odious as Bertille had thought early on.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Tabachnyk is an odious choice because, besides having a weak academic pedigree, he openly espouses anti-Ukrainian views.

    Academic text (2010)
  • His odious behavior at the party made everyone uncomfortable.

  • Many found the politician's odious remarks offensive and unacceptable.

Synonyms

awful
vsodious
1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and causing dislike

is more severe, causing deep dislike or deserving hatred
disgusting
vsodious
531 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

is stronger by implying it also merits hatred
ugly
vsodious
268 4.9

Very bad or offensive in a moral way

is stronger, conveying extreme unpleasantness that deserves hatred
unpleasant
vsodious
215 1.0

Not nice and causing discomfort or unhappiness

is far stronger, meaning extreme unpleasantness that invites hatred
vile
vsodious
157 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

is focused more on provoking hatred through extreme unpleasantness
obnoxious
vsodious
  • Offensive
126 5.1

Very unpleasant in a way that makes people angry or upset

is stronger by carrying deserving hatred as well as offense
hateful
vsodious
116 3.6

Making people feel strong dislike or anger

is more about extreme unpleasantness that makes people hate
despicable
vsodious
  • Offensive
95 5.7

Very bad in a way that makes people feel strong dislike and disgust

is broader, stressing extreme unpleasantness that invites hatred
appalling
vsodious
87 5.6

Causing shock and strong disgust because it is very bad

is more about ongoing extreme unpleasantness that earns hatred
repulsive
vsodious
59 5.5

Causing strong dislike or disgust, like a very bad smell

covers similar disgust but adds deserving of hatred
repugnant
vsodious
42 7.8

Very unpleasant and morally wrong to most people

is more about causing extreme personal hatred and dislike
objectionable
vsodious
31 6.7

Causing people to feel offended or want to protest

is harsher, moving from mere disapproval to deserving hatred
distasteful
vsodious
30 4.6

Something that makes people feel dislike or disgust

is harsher, shifting from mere offense to deserving hatred
unsavory
vsodious
  • US
29 7.2

Something people think is morally wrong or dishonest

is stronger, implying it also deserves strong personal hatred
abominable
vsodious
24 7.2

Very bad or morally wrong so people strongly dislike it

is closer but stresses personal hatred and deep dislike
abhorrent
vsodious
23 7.7

Causing strong dislike or disgust because people see it as morally wrong

is similarly extreme but also deserving of strong hatred
ungodly
vsodious
21 7.2

Morally wrong because it goes against religious rules

is more about causing personal hatred and strong dislike
loathsome
vsodious
20 7.7

Causing strong disgust or hatred in people

is equally hateful but highlights extreme unpleasantness broadly
contemptible
vsodious
  • Offensive
15 7.4

Very bad and makes people feel angry or disgusted

is stronger, meaning it also provokes hatred and disgust
wretched
vsodious
  • Offensive
15 7.1

Very bad in a moral way and deserving strong blame

adds a sense of extreme unpleasantness that provokes hatred
damnable
vsodious
  • Formal
10 8.5

Something that people strongly blame or hate for being very bad

adds that the action or thing is intensely hateful and unpleasant
detestable
vsodious
9 6.5

Very unpleasant and causing people to feel strong dislike or hate

adds the idea of extreme unpleasantness that warrants hatred
execrable
vsodious
  • Formal
4 9.5

Very bad and unpleasant, causing strong dislike

is focused more on provoking hatred through unpleasantness
iniquitous
vsodious
  • Formal
2 9.8

Very unfair and wrong in a way that harms people

is aimed more at provoking hatred through strong unpleasantness
hateable
vsodious
1 5.6

Easy for people to dislike because it seems rude or cruel

adds that the unpleasantness is extreme and hateworthy
loathly
vsodious
  • Archaic
9.9

Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel disgusted

is harsher, implying it also deserves strong hatred
anathematic
vsodious
  • Offensive
9.9

A person, idea or action that many people strongly dislike

is more personal, provoking deep hatred rather than only condemnation
disgustful
vsodious
6.7

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick

is similar but stresses being worthy of deep hatred

Antonyms

314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

202 2.0

Something very pleasant that makes you happy

18 1.0

Pleasant to be with or to experience

How Offensive

detestable
9 6.5
odious
  • Formal
20 8.2
offensive
  • Offensive
261 4.0
unpleasant
215 1.0
disagreeable
6 3.9

Surface Forms

odious positive

Morphology

odious = odium (semi-transparent) = odium + ous

The meaning is directly related to 'odium' + the productive suffix '-ous', but the Latin stem change (odium → odi-) and the rarity of 'odium' make the relation less obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word odious comes from the Latin odium, meaning 'hatred', and from odiosus, meaning 'hateful'. That's why something called odious feels extremely unpleasant and deserves strong dislike.