Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

invidious

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore I words

likely to provoke resentment or unfairly discriminate

Word origin: From Latin invidia, envy or ill will.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Invidious in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing invidious in a sentence.

Comparing the two siblings so openly created an invidious sense of rivalry.

Drawing an invidious comparison between the two departments only deepened the resentment between them.

Synonyms
offensivediscriminatoryobjectionableodious
Antonyms
fairagreeable

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Text Completion

The committee's report was praised for its candor, yet its central recommendation was so blank that administrators could cite it to justify nearly any policy they had already resolved to pursue.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “invidious” well

Invidious describes something likely to provoke ill will or to discriminate unfairly. Do not confuse it with insidious, which means stealthily harmful.

Common questions

Questions about “invidious”

Invidious (adjective) means likely to provoke resentment or unfairly discriminate
Here is invidious used in an example sentence: "Comparing the two siblings so openly created an invidious sense of rivalry." Another example: "Drawing an invidious comparison between the two departments only deepened the resentment between them."
Common synonyms for invidious include offensive, discriminatory, objectionable, odious.
Antonyms of invidious include fair, agreeable.
Invidious clusters with offensive, discriminatory, objectionable, and odious. Its antonyms fair and agreeable mark the contrast; insidious is a common look-alike trap.
Yes. Invidious is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.