odious

[ oh-dee-uhs ]

adjective

1. deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable.

   Synonyms: execrable, despicable, objectionable, abominable

   Antonyms: lovable, attractive

2. highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting.

   Synonyms: repulsive, repellent, loathsome

odious

/ ˈəʊdɪəs /

adjective

1. offensive; repugnant

Derived Forms

• ˈodiousness, noun
• ˈodiously, adverb

Other Words From

• odi·ous·ly adverb
• odi·ous·ness noun
• un·odi·ous adjective
• un·odi·ous·ly adverb
• un·odi·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of odious¹

1350–1400; Middle English from Latin odiōsus, equivalent to od(ium) “hatred,” odium + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of odious¹

C17: from Latin; see odium

Synonym Study

See hateful.

Example Sentences

In drafting this amendment, Congress expressly intended to overturn Dred Scott, the odious 1857 decision that denied citizenship to Black Americans.

From Slate

Wes Streeting, now health secretary, described Trump as an "odious, sad, little man".

From BBC

Judge Daniel Williams told the sentencing in Newport that Stringer's attempts to convince a jury of his innocence were "odious and cynical".

From BBC

He said Republicans were “lying about my legislative record, which is one of the toughest on crime in the State Senate” and that the advertisement was “especially odious in that it uses my endorsement from Equality California ... to propagate the bigoted and hateful myth that gay people are child predators and groomers.”

From Los Angeles Times

The odious Scott, who made his fortune defrauding the elderly as CEO of a for-profit health care company, is unloved by Floridians; he has a 35 percent approval rating according to an August USA Today/Suffolk University/WSVN-TV survey.

From Slate

Related Words

• abhorrent
• abominable
• disgusting
• horrid
• loathsome
• obnoxious
• repugnant
• repulsive
• revolting
• vile