invidious
calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense; hateful: invidious remarks.
offensively or unfairly discriminating; injurious: invidious comparisons.
causing or tending to cause animosity, resentment, or envy: an invidious honor.
Obsolete. envious.
Origin of invidious
1Other words from invidious
- in·vid·i·ous·ly, adverb
- in·vid·i·ous·ness, noun
- non·in·vid·i·ous, adjective
- non·in·vid·i·ous·ly, adverb
- non·in·vid·i·ous·ness, noun
- un·in·vid·i·ous, adjective
- un·in·vid·i·ous·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with invidious
- insidious, invidious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use invidious in a sentence
I beg you take all this as I mean it, which, Heaven knows, is not invidiously.
The American | Henry JamesDelighted to hear of one of your cold waves—the newspapers here invidiously mentioning none but your hot.
The Letters of Henry James (volume I) | Henry JamesOtherwise, people would not respect you, and only think that you were invidiously placed.
Man and Maid | Elinor GlynThe monster nuisance, as it had been invidiously called, was no longer amenable to the Nuisances Removal Act.
Punch - Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853) | VariousThey came toward us from under the archway to which Mr. Ruck had somewhat invidiously alluded, slowly and with a jaded air.
Lady Barbarina | Henry James
British Dictionary definitions for invidious
/ (ɪnˈvɪdɪəs) /
incurring or tending to arouse resentment, unpopularity, etc: an invidious task
(of comparisons or distinctions) unfairly or offensively discriminating
obsolete grudging; envious
Origin of invidious
1Derived forms of invidious
- invidiously, adverb
- invidiousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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