odious
Americanadjective
-
deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable.
- Synonyms:
- execrable, despicable, objectionable, abominable
- Antonyms:
- lovable, attractive
-
highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting.
adjective
Synonym Usage
See hateful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of odious
1350–1400; Middle English from Latin odiōsus, equivalent to od(ium) “hatred,” odium + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
If something is odious, it's hateful. If you become a historian of slavery, you'll learn all the details of that odious trade. Odious is from the Latin noun odium, which means hatred. It is a strong word, so don't call someone odious unless you want to accuse someone of being loathsome or vile. Actions can also be called odious. A typical use is Shakespeare's in Othello: "You told a lie, an odious damned lie." Some synonyms are hateful, contemptible, detestable, and abominable.
Vocabulary lists containing odious
Fahrenheit 451
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"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sandford is a particularly odious source of constitutional wisdom, his argument echoed a broader antebellum consensus.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026
But it’s to Raimi and the actors’ credit that they manage to make such an odious character as Bradley actually sympathetic — and so clear a heroine as Linda complex and thorny.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
The U.S. wants him to sign a peace deal with provisions that most Ukrainians find odious.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025
The judge said the threats made to Commissioner Harris were "odious" and noted McDonald's "gracious" victim impact statement.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025
I can’t recall which scythe began that odious campaign to glean only those who were born mortal, but it spread throughout each regional Scythedom, a viral idea in a post-viral time.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
