Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Arousing or deserving hatred or strong dislike. synonym: hateful.
  • adjective Extremely unpleasant; repulsive: synonym: offensive.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Hateful or deserving of hatred; offensive; disgusting; causing or exciting hatred, dislike, disgust, or repugnance; repulsive; disagreeable; unpleasant: as, an odious person; an odious sight or smell.
  • Hated; regarded with aversion or repugnance; obnoxious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Hateful; deserving or receiving hatred.
  • adjective Causing or provoking hatred, repugnance, or disgust; offensive; disagreeable; repulsive

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Arousing or meriting strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective unequivocally detestable

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French odieus, from Latin odiōsus, from odium, hatred; see odium.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Via French odieux, "odious", from Latin odiosus, from odium, "hate", -osus, "-ous", from odisse, "to hate".

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Examples

  • I guess the reason why I don't think Hannity's behavior was particularly "odious" is because I see it all the time.

    Discourse.net: Hannity = Dishonesty 2009

  • Falwell, on the other hand, fought for repugnant causes in odious ways.

    Matthew Yglesias » Things I Did Not Know 2007

  • Past membership in odious organizations may not be relevant in Judge Alito's case, but it cuts both ways, so the next time the Republicans remind the Democrats once again that Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) used to belong to the Ku Klux Klan (which he acknowledges and has apologized and made amends for time and time again), we can then point to Judge Alito's membership in CAP.

    January 2006 2006

  • They could talk, and malign me, and tell lies as to dates, and strive to make my name odious in the county; but they knew that the will was good.

    He Knew He Was Right 2004

  • "I use the word odious because the debt was largely incurred by the last government which did not represent us," Meer said.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2003

  • The King was accused of sympathy with the Protestant cause, which made his name odious to the Catholic University of Paris.

    Heroes of Modern Europe Alice Birkhead

  • The discourse abounds with just observation, applicable to all ranks of men; and, if properly attended to by that infatuated emperor, might have prevented the perpetration of those acts of cruelty, which, with his other extravagancies, have rendered his name odious to posterity.

    De vita Caesarum Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus

  • They could talk, and malign me, and tell lies as to dates, and strive to make my name odious in the county; but they knew that the will was good.

    He Knew He Was Right Anthony Trollope 1848

  • Others were tories, and adherents to the old kingly rule; some of whom took refuge within the British lines, joined the royal bands of refugees, a name odious to the American ear, and occasionally returned to harass their ancient neighbors.

    Wolfert's Roost and Miscellanies Washington Irving 1821

  • Call it grievous, call it odious, that we may by all means possible put ourselves and others out of love with it.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume IV (Isaiah to Malachi) 1721

Comments

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  • Oh! there’s that disagreeable lover of mine, Sir Benjamin Backbite, has just called at my guardian’s, with his odious uncle, Crabtree

    Sheridan, School for Scandal

    January 6, 2008

  • my odiuos mother in law is very nosy

    October 1, 2010

  • Someone on fanfiction.net said I was this.

    July 15, 2012