: 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
Marty is prone to do some normie political comedy from time to time and has a history of playing annoying characters with odious personalities.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2024
After an odious 15-game performance, stained by players lacking discipline and fighting on the sideline, Penner identified the qualities most important for removing the floppy shoes and red nose from the organization’s coaching office.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2024
Nelson was speaking to the culprits behind these odious arrangements, in Congress (including himself from his time in the Senate), who see the space agency as a piggy bank and cost-plus contracts as a way to deliver jobs to constituents and share price boosts to campaign funders.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Friendship can make odious tasks tolerable and worthwhile tasks more satisfying.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for odious 
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Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2024
After an odious 15-game performance, stained by players lacking discipline and fighting on the sideline, Penner identified the qualities most important for removing the floppy shoes and red nose from the organization’s coaching office.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2024
Nelson was speaking to the culprits behind these odious arrangements, in Congress (including himself from his time in the Senate), who see the space agency as a piggy bank and cost-plus contracts as a way to deliver jobs to constituents and share price boosts to campaign funders.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Friendship can make odious tasks tolerable and worthwhile tasks more satisfying.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 5 Sep. 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 23 Nov. 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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