Odious means extremely unpleasant or hateful, the kind of thing that makes you recoil or feel disgusted. When something is odious, it's deeply offensive or morally repulsive, going far beyond mere annoyance or bother.

A bully's odious behavior might include mocking other students or deliberately trying to humiliate them. An odious smell might make you cover your nose and step away quickly. Historical figures who committed terrible crimes are often described as odious because their actions were so cruel and wrong.

The word carries a strong sense of moral judgment. You might find brussels sprouts unpleasant, but you probably wouldn't call them odious. That word is reserved for things that are genuinely revolting or contemptible. An odious task is one that feels wrong to do, not just difficult or boring.

When someone calls a policy or practice odious, they're saying it offends their sense of right and wrong. If you find something odious, you feel it's hateful and want nothing to do with it.