invidious
adjective
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Fittingly, "invidious" is a relative of "envy." Both are descendants of "invidia," the Latin word for "envy," which in turn comes from invidēre, meaning "to look askance at or "to envy." ("Invidious" descends from "invidia" by way of the Latin adjective invidiosus, meaning "envious, whereas "envy" comes to English via the Anglo-French noun envie.) These days, however, "invidious" is rarely used as a synonym for "envious." The preferred uses are primarily pejorative, describing things that are unpleasant (such as "invidious choices" and "invidious tasks") or worthy of scorn ("invidious remarks" or "invidious comparisons").
Synonyms
Examples of invidious in a Sentence
Charles Kesler, National Review, 20 June 2024
Masculine critical categories stopped being applied; other, more invidious ones crept in.
—Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books, 21 Oct. 2021
People have a right to work, attend school, obtain loans, use public transportation, vote, and secure housing free from invidious discrimination.
—WIRED, 6 Oct. 2022
There is much more to be said on backsliding, including about its invidious foreign policy consequences.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
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Dictionary Entries Near invidious
Cite this Entry
“Invidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invidious. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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invidious
adjective
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invidious
adjective
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