invidious

adjective

in·​vid·​i·​ous in-ˈvi-dē-əs 

1

a

: of an unpleasant or objectionable nature : obnoxious

invidious remarks

b

: of a kind to cause harm or resentment

an invidious comparison

2

: tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy

the invidious task of arbitration

3

: envious

invidiously adverb

invidiousness noun

Did you know?

If invidious reminds you of the word insidious (“gradually or subtly causing harm”), you’ve got a nose for negativity—at least the lexical kind. It’s not that using the word invidious will harm you gradually, but that both words, in addition to rhyming and coming from Latin, are all about bad vibes. The two are otherwise unrelated; insidious comes from Latin insidiae, “ambush,” while invidious is instead a relative of envy and comes from the verb invidēre, meaning “to look askance at” or “to envy.” The link between envy and invidious is largely invisible today, as invidious is typically applied to that which is unpleasant (such as “an invidious position”) or is likely to cause harm or resentment (“invidious comparisons,” “invidious discrimination”).

Synonyms of invidious

• jealous
• envious

Examples of invidious in a Sentence

The boss made invidious distinctions between employees.

inevitably, his remarkable success attracted the invidious attention of the other sales representatives

Recent Examples on the Web

And although this is maybe invidious to say, probably more intelligent than Graham Platner. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

Perhaps minority voters are as free from invidious discrimination as Alito’s majority opinion in the Callais case suggests. — Jordan Ragusa, The Conversation, 11 May 2026

The king, who will address Congress, could appear to be in an invidious position. — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026

With such invidious comparisons, and with such a dim view of collective action, Williams is unable to make the case as to how precisely his homeland is to move towards a post-racial utopia. — Book Marks august 1, Literary Hub, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin invidiosus envious, invidious, from invidia envy — more at envy

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for invidious

• fastidious
• insidious
• hideous

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Kids Definition

invidious

adjective

in·​vid·​i·​ous in-ˈvid-ē-əs 

1

: of an unpleasant or objectionable kind

invidious criticism

2

: of a kind to cause resentment

an invidious comparison

invidiously adverb

invidiousness noun

Legal Definition

invidious

adjective

in·​vid·​i·​ous in-ˈvi-dē-əs 

: of, relating to, or being discrimination that arises from the creation of a classification that is arbitrary, irrational, or capricious and not related to a legitimate purpose

invidiously adverb

invidiousness noun