: arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance : hateful
an odious crime
a false and odious comparison
odiously
adverb
odiousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of odious in a Sentence
Two of them—his mother Livia and his odious sister Janice—were at heart killers like himself.
—
Geoffrey O'Brien, New York Review of Books, 16 Aug. 2007
He learned an important lesson some years ago in Panama. Manuel Antonio Noriega was too odious even for Carter, who shunned the Panamanian strongman in the run-up to the 1989 ballot there.
—Jim Wooten, New York Times Magazine, 29 Jan 1995
But, alas, I know the real me, the me with the soft, round stomach and the love handles, odious first cousins to the paunch.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 1990
It was one of the most odious crimes of recent history.
an odious and unforgivable insult
Geoffrey O'Brien, New York Review of Books, 16 Aug. 2007
He learned an important lesson some years ago in Panama. Manuel Antonio Noriega was too odious even for Carter, who shunned the Panamanian strongman in the run-up to the 1989 ballot there.
—Jim Wooten, New York Times Magazine, 29 Jan 1995
But, alas, I know the real me, the me with the soft, round stomach and the love handles, odious first cousins to the paunch.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 1990
It was one of the most odious crimes of recent history.
an odious and unforgivable insult
Recent Examples on the Web
As is consistent across American life, the only way to hold a corporation like Spotify accountable for its inequitable distribution model and odious use of A.I. is to deny it access to your wallet and personal data.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2024
By publicly and privately drawing attention to the institution of slavery and those enslaved, especially in Southern cities and plantations, Lafayette was making his position known and trying to hasten the end of the odious practice.
—Elizabeth M. Reese / Made By History, TIME, 26 Nov. 2024
Even odious combatants seeking to transform into political parties as part of peace processes often should be allowed to do so in the name of peace.
—Aila M. Matanock, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2018
But unfortunately, odious anti-Palestinian messaging proliferates too, laced with claims of ethnic superiority of Israelis and Jews over Palestinians and Muslims.
—Dj Rosenthal, Baltimore Sun, 5 Nov. 2024
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Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2024
By publicly and privately drawing attention to the institution of slavery and those enslaved, especially in Southern cities and plantations, Lafayette was making his position known and trying to hasten the end of the odious practice.
—Elizabeth M. Reese / Made By History, TIME, 26 Nov. 2024
Even odious combatants seeking to transform into political parties as part of peace processes often should be allowed to do so in the name of peace.
—Aila M. Matanock, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2018
But unfortunately, odious anti-Palestinian messaging proliferates too, laced with claims of ethnic superiority of Israelis and Jews over Palestinians and Muslims.
—Dj Rosenthal, Baltimore Sun, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for odious
Dictionary Entries Near odious
Cite this Entry
“Odious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odious. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
odious
adjective
odi·ous
ˈōd-ē-əs 
: causing hatred or strong dislike : worthy of hatred
odiously
adverb
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