invidious

The word of the day is invidious, a formal adjective used to describe things that are unpleasant and likely to cause bad feelings in others. Invidious comparisons or situations can lead to resentment, discontent, animosity, or envy in people. Psychologists advise against making invidious comparisons between others' lives on social media and one's own life. The word invidious is often used to describe situations or comparisons that are unfair or likely to cause harm. An example of the word invidious in use is in a sentence describing a sports team's relentless and invidious rate of producing new talent. The word invidious is related to the Latin verb invidēre, meaning to look askance at or to envy. Although invidious is similar to the word insidious, which means gradually causing harm, the two words are unrelated and have different origins. Invidious comes from the Latin word for envy, while insidious comes from the Latin word for ambush. The connection between envy and invidious is not immediately apparent today, as the word is often used to describe unpleasant or harmful situations. Overall, the word invidious is a formal and nuanced term used to describe situations or comparisons that are likely to cause bad feelings or resentment in others.