If you have ever seen the word “odious” in a book, news headline, or online comment, you may have paused and thought: “Is this like ‘bad’… or ‘really, really bad’?”
Odious (adjective) means extremely unpleasant and strongly disliked, often because it seems hateful, disgusting, or morally wrong.
Example: “The corruption scandal was odious.”
You’re right to pause—odious is a strong word. It is not used for small annoyances. People use odious for something that feels deeply hateful, extremely unpleasant, or strongly disliked. Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “extremely unpleasant and causing or deserving hate.”
What Does the Word “Odious” Mean?
Odious meaning in simple words
Odious = very hateful / very disgusting / strongly disliked.
It describes something that makes people feel hate, strong disgust, or strong anger. Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com both explain that odious is about deserving or causing hatred and also being highly offensive/repugnant.
Part of speech
- Odious is an adjective (it describes a noun).
Odious Pronunciation (US & UK)
UK: /ˈəʊ.di.əs/
US: /ˈoʊ.di.əs/
Easy sound: OH-dee-us (3 parts: OH + dee + us)
Tip: Many people confuse odious with odor/odour. They sound a little similar, but they are different words. (We’ll cover this in the confusion section.)
How Strong Is the Word “Odious”?
Odious is stronger than “unpleasant.”
It is closer to words like detestable, vile, loathsome, disgusting.
Cambridge calls it “extremely unpleasant,” and it often suggests moral disgust too (like an odious crime).
When you should use “odious”
Use it for:
- cruel behavior
- hateful actions
- corruption, injustice
- disgusting or repulsive things
- things that deserve strong dislike
When you should NOT use “odious”
Don’t use it for small everyday problems like:
- “odious traffic” (too strong, unless you want drama)
- “odious homework” (usually too strong)
Odious Meaning in English (Full Definition)
Here are the main meanings, gathered from major dictionaries:
- Deserving hatred; hateful; detestable
- Highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting
So, odious can mean:
- morally hateful (odious cruelty)
- physically/mentally repulsive (an odious smell, though that use is less common today)
“Utterly Odious” Meaning
Utterly means completely or totally.
So “utterly odious” means:
completely hateful / totally disgusting / beyond acceptable
Example:
- “The act was utterly odious.” (meaning: not just bad—deeply hateful)
This matches the “extremely unpleasant” + “deserving hate” idea in standard definitions.
Odious Meaning: Real-Life Usage (How to Use It Correctly)
Common word partners (collocations)
You will often see:
- odious crime
- odious behavior
- odious act
- odious regime
- odious lie (Vocabulary.com notes Shakespeare used “odious” strongly in literature)
- odious person / odious man (very harsh—use carefully)
Sentence pattern
- Subject + be + odious
“His behavior is odious.” - Odious + noun
“That was an odious remark.” - Make + someone + odious (to someone)
“He made himself odious to the community.” (older/formal style; also found in older dictionary explanations)
Odious Meaning Sentences (10+ Easy Examples)
Here are simple, ready-to-use sentences:
- The bullying was odious.
- Lying to the public is an odious act.
- The politician’s racist comment was odious.
- Cheating in exams is odious because it is unfair.
- The cruel joke felt odious to everyone in the room.
- They called the attack an odious crime.
- Corruption is odious because it steals hope from people.
- His behavior became odious after he insulted the staff.
- The hateful messages were odious and harmful.
- The plan sounded odious to the workers because it cut their pay.
- She refused to support an odious policy that hurt poor families.
- The community stood together against odious violence.
“Odiousness” in a sentence (noun form)
- Odiousness means the quality of being odious (the “hateful/disgusting” nature).
Examples:
- “The odiousness of the crime shocked the city.”
- “People complained about the odiousness of his language.”
Define Odious (Short + Clear)
Odious: extremely unpleasant; causing or deserving hate; strongly disliked.
Odious Definition vs. Odiousness Definition
Odious (adjective)
Describes something:
- odious act, odious crime, odious behavior
Odiousness (noun)
The state or quality of being odious:
- the odiousness of corruption
Odiously Meaning (Adverb)
Odiously means in an odious way.
Examples:
- “He spoke odiously to the waiter.”
- “They treated prisoners odiously.”
(Note: adverb usage is less common in daily speech; it appears more in formal writing.)
Odious Meaning Synonyms (With Small Differences)
Dictionaries list many synonyms. Here are the most useful ones.
Strong synonyms (very close)
- detestable (deserving hate)
- abominable (morally very bad)
- loathsome (very disgusting)
- repulsive (causes disgust)
- vile (morally disgusting)
- hateful (causing hate)
Merriam-Webster’s thesaurus includes synonyms like disgusting, awful, horrible, offensive, obnoxious.
Slightly softer words (not always as strong)
- unpleasant
- disagreeable
- nasty
Antonyms (opposites)
Merriam-Webster lists antonyms such as acceptable and similar “not harmful/okay” words.
Common opposites:
- pleasant
- agreeable
- likable
- admirable
- acceptable
Odious vs Disgusting vs Offensive (Quick Comparison)
- Disgusting: often about physical disgust (smell, food, gross behavior).
- Offensive: about something that insults or hurts feelings/values.
- Odious: can include both—disgust + moral hate. It often carries a strong judgment.
“Comparisons Are Odious” Meaning (And “Comparison Is Odious”)
People search these a lot:
- comparisons are odious meaning
- comparison is odious meaning
- comparison is odious
Meaning of the proverb
“Comparisons are odious” means:
Comparing two people or things often creates jealousy, bitterness, or unfair judgment, so it can feel unpleasant and unhelpful.
In simple words: Comparing people can hurt feelings.
Origin (where it comes from)
The phrase is very old. A well-known record points to John Lydgate around circa 1440, showing the idea that comparisons create hatred.
Examples
- “Don’t compare siblings—comparisons are odious.”
- “I won’t say which brand is better; comparisons are odious.”
- “Stop ranking your friends. Comparisons are odious.”
Odious Meaning in the Bible (KJV Style Use)
Many people search “odious meaning in the Bible” because the word appears in Bible-related dictionaries and older English religious writing.
A Bible study dictionary notes a verse where people “made themselves odious” to King David (connected with the story in 1 Chronicles 19).
What “odious” means there
In that context, odious means:
- hateful
- disliked
- they became offensive / hated in someone’s eyes
So Bible-style odious often means: “to become hated / to become offensive to someone.”
Odious Meaning in Urdu
Common Urdu meanings include ideas like “قابل نفرت” (hated), “نفرت انگیز” (hate-making), “ناگوار” (unpleasant).
Simple Urdu translation (closest):
- قابلِ نفرت (most accurate)
- نفرت انگیز
- ناگوار (sometimes used, but can be softer)
Examples:
- “His odious behavior” → اس کا نفرت انگیز رویہ
- “an odious crime” → ایک قابلِ نفرت جرم
Odious Meaning in Hindi
Hindi equivalents include:
- घृणित
- घिनौना
- घृणास्पद
Example:
- “An odious act” → एक घृणित काम
Odious Meaning in Bengali
Bengali dictionaries often give meanings like:
- ঘৃণ্য (disgusting/hateworthy)
- জঘন্য (heinous/terrible)
- বিরক্তিকর (annoying—sometimes too soft)
Example:
- “An odious crime” → একটি জঘন্য অপরাধ
Odious Meaning in Tamil
Tamil dictionaries commonly connect it with “hateworthy / disgusting / very bad,” and one Tamil dictionary entry gives “வெறுக்கத்தக்க” (worth hating).
Example:
- “odious behavior” → வெறுக்கத்தக்க நடத்தை (hateworthy behavior)
(Tamil translations can vary by region and dictionary, but “வெறுக்கத்தக்க” is a strong close match.)
Spelling Help: “O D I O U S” and Common Mistakes
People often type:
- odius / odeous / odous (wrong)
- odious (correct)
Easy spelling trick
ODI + OUS
Say it slowly: OH – dee – us.
“Odious Individual” Meaning / “Odious Person” Meaning
An odious person means:
- a person who is strongly disliked because of hateful or disgusting behavior.
But be careful: calling a real person “odious” is very insulting and sounds formal/harsh. Cambridge even gives an example like “an odious little man” to show the strong negative tone.
Better (softer) choices in daily talk:
- rude, mean, disrespectful, unpleasant
Use odious when you truly mean deep moral dislike.
Odious Opus Meaning (What People Usually Mean)
“Odious opus” is not a standard fixed phrase in dictionaries. Most likely, people mean:
- opus = a work (music/book/art piece)
- odious opus = a “work” that is hated/disgusting/strongly disliked
So if someone says “his odious opus”, they mean:
“his hated/repulsive work.”
(This is more of a creative/literary use than a dictionary term.)
A Simple Table: Odious vs Similar Words
| Word | Strength | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| odious | very strong | moral hate + disgust | “an odious crime” |
| disgusting | strong | physical/behavior disgust | “disgusting smell” |
| offensive | medium–strong | insulting/against values | “offensive joke” |
| unpleasant | mild | minor negative | “unpleasant day” |
| detestable | very strong | deserving hate | “detestable cruelty” |
Why People Get Confused About “Odious”
1) Odious vs Odor/Odour
- odor/odour = smell
- odious = hateworthy / disgusting
2) They use it for small problems
If it’s just “a bit annoying,” odious is too strong.
3) They think it only means “smelly”
It can relate to “offensive to the senses” in older definitions, but modern use is mostly moral dislike + extreme unpleasantness.
Mini Quiz (To Lock the Meaning)
Choose the best word:
- A small delay at the bus stop is _____.
A) odious B) unpleasant
✅ Best: unpleasant - A cruel attack on innocent people is _____.
A) odious B) mildly annoying
✅ Best: odious - A rotten smell is _____.
A) disgusting B) admirable
✅ Best: disgusting
(You could say odious too, but “disgusting” is more common.)
FAQs
1) What does odious mean?
It means extremely unpleasant and deserving or causing hate.
2) Define odious in one word.
Hateworthy (or detestable).
3) What is odious meaning in English?
A strong adjective meaning very hateful / very disgusting / strongly disliked.
4) How to pronounce odious?
UK: /ˈəʊ.di.əs/ — US: /ˈoʊ.di.əs/ (OH-dee-us).
5) What does “comparisons are odious” mean?
It means comparisons can cause jealousy and bitterness, so they are often unpleasant and unfair.
6) What is “comparison is odious” meaning?
Same idea—comparing people/things can create bad feelings, so it is disliked.
7) What does “utterly odious” mean?
It means completely hateful / totally disgusting, with no “soft” feeling.
8) Odious meaning in Urdu?
Closest: قابلِ نفرت, نفرت انگیز, sometimes ناگوار.
9) Odious meaning in Hindi?
Common: घृणित, घिनौना, घृणास्पद.
10) Odious meaning in Bengali?
Common: ঘৃণ্য, জঘন্য.
11) Odious meaning in Tamil?
A strong match is வெறுக்கத்தக்க (hateworthy).
12) Odious meaning in the Bible?
In Bible-style usage it means to become hated/offensive (e.g., “made themselves odious to David”).
13) What does odiousness mean?
It means the quality of being odious—the hateful/disgusting nature.
14) Odiousness in a sentence?
“The odiousness of the act shocked everyone.”
15) Odious adjective meaning?
An adjective meaning extremely unpleasant and deserving hate.
Conclusion
Odious is a powerful word. It means extremely unpleasant and strongly disliked, often because it feels hateful, disgusting, or morally wrong.
Use it for serious things—odious crimes, odious cruelty, odious corruption—not for small everyday annoyances. And if you remember OH-dee-us, spelling and pronunciation become easy.
Patrick Gale is a word-meaning expert at Meanovia.com. He explains complex terms, definitions, and language trends with clarity and precision. His goal is to help readers understand the exact meaning behind every word they search.
