invidious
invidious
Definition
in·vidi·ous (in vid′ē əs)
adjective
- such as to excite ill will, odium, or envy; giving offense
- giving offense by discriminating unfairly invidious comparisons
- Obsolete envious
Etymology: L invidiosus < invidia: see envy
in·vid′i·ously adverb
in·vid′i·ous·ness noun
invidious
Synonyms
invidious
Usage Examples
Modifying Another Word
- perhaps: It is perhaps invidious to criticize such an ambitious and fundamentally valuable undertaking as this on these grounds.
- however: It is however invidious to have different funding mechanisms applying to young people's learning opportunities.
- always: Naming names within a short exercise in reminiscence like this is always invidious, but there are two names which must not go unrecorded.
- very: What often happens in such cases can be very invidious for all concerned.
- not: Q If ITV merges, is it not invidious that two sales houses will report to one Plc?
Infinitive complement
- pick: I enjoyed reading so many of the essays in this book that it is invidious to pick out favorites.
- single: It would be invidious to single out any by name.
- name: But it would be invidious to name some, when all our teachers were so friendly and approachable.
- select: So many officials have made so many mistakes over so many years that it would be invidious to select a single example of incompetence.
- say: That being so, it is the less invidious to say that the charge was a gross blunder.
- make: Sometimes I think it is invidious to make comparisons with one type of terrorism and another.
Modifies a noun
- comparison: Keith Hill: I would not want to make that kind of invidious comparison.
- distinction: Segmentation is a social technology whose primary function is the creation of invidious distinctions.
- position: You will never be in the invidious position of not knowing whether you are making or losing money at any particular time.
- discrimination: This article addresses the most common colloquial sense of the word, invidious discrimination.
- choice: Blair was confronted with an invidious choice that nobody in the British establishment has wanted to make: Europe or America.
- task: In trying to determine where we are, I fear we would leave an invidious task for judges and juries.
Used with adjective complement
- seem: So it seems particularly invidious to encourage the use of other smokable drugs, such as cannabis.
Browse dictionary entries near invidious
- inviable
- inveterate
- investor relations department
- investment tax credit
- investment strategy
- investment portfolio
- investment objective
- investment management
- investment letter
- investment income
- invigilate
- invigorate
- invigorating
- invincible
- inviolability
- inviolable
- inviolate
- inviscid
- invisibility
- invisible
