invidious

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The Word of the Day for January 14 is:=20

invidious   \in-VID-ee-us\   adjective
          1 : tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy
     2 : envious=20
     3 a : of an unpleasant or objectionable nature : obnoxious *b : of =
a kind to cause harm or resentment=20

Example sentence:
          "Petty arguments about what counts as serious art and what doe=
s not are invidious to the discipline of artistic criticism," wrote the =
professor.

Did you know?
          Fittingly, "invidious" is a relative of "envy." Both are desce=
ndants of "invidia," the Latin word for "envy," which in turn comes from=
 "invidere," meaning "to look askance at" or "to envy." ("Invidious" des=
cends from "invidia" by way of the Latin adjective "invidiosus," meaning=
 "envious," whereas "envy" comes to English via the Anglo-French noun "e=
nvie.") These days, however, "invidious" is rarely used as a synonym for=
 "envious." The preferred uses are primarily pejorative, describing thin=
gs that are unpleasant (such as "invidious choices" and "invidious tasks=
") or worthy of scorn ("invidious remarks" or "invidious comparisons").





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