Odium made its way into the English language through Latin, and the word’s root od-, meaning “hatred,” might tip you off that this word involves extreme dislike of some sort. Odium is a little more immediate than hate and usually describes a negative response to a specific action rather than a long-held, sustained hatred. Your dislike of broccoli, for example, wouldn’t be described as odium. Instead, think of odium as hate mixed with repulsion and condemnation, what you feel, for example, if you hear a racist speech or a news story about a terrorist act.