odium

[ oh-dee-uhm ]

noun

1. intense hatred or dislike, especially toward a person or thing regarded as contemptible, despicable, or repugnant.

   Synonyms: antipathy, abhorrence, detestation

   Antonyms: love

2. the reproach, discredit, or opprobrium attaching to something hated or repugnant:

   He had to bear the odium of neglecting his family.

   Synonyms: obloquy

3. the state or quality of being hated.

odium

/ ˈəʊdɪəm /

noun

1. the dislike accorded to a hated person or thing
2. hatred; repugnance

Word History and Origins

Origin of odium¹

1595–1605; < Latin: hatred, equivalent to od ( isse ) to hate + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of odium¹

C17: from Latin; related to ōdī I hate, Greek odussasthai to be angry

Example Sentences

Neither of the smart and entertaining new memoirs by Henry Winkler and John Stamos inspires such odium — even if both TV stars have written books that traffic heavily in their authors’ lesser angels.

From New York Times

This season will only add to the odium.

From Los Angeles Times

The Chinese government’s hardball tactics may have been successful in springing Ms. Meng, but they appear to have created lasting odium in Canada, showing the political costs of seizing foreign nationals.

From New York Times

“The doctors who mistreated him ought to bear the odium of his death, and not his assailant,” Guiteau declared, according to the National Republican newspaper of Washington.

From Washington Post

The bank bailout and President Barack Obama’s stimulus, both intended to address the financial panic spurred by the collapse in the housing market, became instant odiums.

From Fox News