Meaning & use
invidiousness
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Meanings
noununcountableformal
The quality of being unfair in a way that causes resentment or jealousy among people.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it has no plural and takes a singular verb: The invidiousness of the decision was clear.
Patterns
- the invidiousness of something
- invidiousness in something
The invidiousness of the policy made workers feel that the company was playing favorites.
She criticized the invidiousness of a system that rewarded some employees but not others for the same work.
The invidiousness of the comparison led to arguments among the team members.
noununcountableformal
The quality of an action or situation that is likely to make someone unpopular or disliked.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'of' to specify the action or situation: the invidiousness of having to choose.
Patterns
- the invidiousness of doing something
- the invidiousness of a task
The invidiousness of having to choose between two close friends made him uncomfortable.
She dreaded the invidiousness of the task, which would inevitably upset someone.
Common combinations
- the invidiousness of the situation
- The invidiousness of the situation became clear when both sides accused each other of unfairness.
- invidiousness in the workplace
- They discussed invidiousness in the workplace and how it affects morale.
- accuse someone of invidiousness
- The manager was accused of invidiousness after giving only one person a bonus.
- the invidiousness of a choice
- The invidiousness of the choice left her feeling trapped.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unfairness
- A more general word for lack of fairness; invidiousness adds the idea of causing resentment or jealousy.
- inequity
- Used for unfair differences, especially in systems; invidiousness focuses on the feeling of resentment it creates.
- offensiveness
- Stronger and more direct; invidiousness is more about unfairness that stirs envy or anger.
Opposites
Word family
- invidious adjective
- Unfair in a way that causes resentment or jealousy.
- invidiously adverb
- In a manner that is unfair and likely to cause resentment.
Commonly confused: invidiousness or enviousness?
invidiousness vs enviousness
Enviousness is the feeling of wanting what someone else has; invidiousness is the quality of being unfair and causing such feelings.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'invidiousness' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 is correct because 'invidiousness' refers to the unfair quality of the policy that caused resentment. Option 1 is wrong because it uses 'invidiousness' to mean a personal feeling of envy, which is 'enviousness'. Option 2 is wrong because invidiousness is not a positive quality. Option 3 is wrong because invidiousness cannot describe weather.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “invidiousness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.