invidious
invidious — adjective
- invidiouspositive
- more invidiouscomparative
- most invidioussuperlative
1. used to describe a situation, choice, or comparison that is unfair and makes peo
used to describe a situation, choice, or comparison that is unfair and makes people feel resentful, embarrassed, or placed at a disadvantage
The head teacher faced the invidious task of deciding which three staff members to let go.
collocation: invidious task
Adisa grew tired of the invidious comparisons his boss kept making between his work and a colleague's.
collocation: invidious comparisons
Lara was put in an invidious position when two friends each demanded she take their side.
Bao thought it invidious to rank the volunteers when everyone had put in the same long hours.
The newspaper cartoon drew an invidious distinction between city families and those living in the countryside.
- unfair
broader and more common; lacks the specific sense of causing resentment or embarrassment
- discriminatory
focuses on prejudice against a group; invidious can be unfair without targeting a specific group
- odious
stronger, meaning hateful or repulsive, but does not imply unfairness
- objectionable
means causing disapproval, but lacks the core idea of unfairness that invidious carries
文法句型
invidious + noun
it is invidious to + verb
用法筆記
Typically describes situations, choices, comparisons, or distinctions — not people directly. In modern English, you would say someone was put in an invidious position, but you would not call a person 'an invidious person.'