odious debt

noun

The national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, and thus considered to be a personal debt of the regime and not a debt of the state.

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Meanings

nounodious debt (countable and uncountable, plural odious debts)

plural odious debts

  1. countableuncountableinternational lawThe national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, and thus considered to be a personal debt of the regime and not a debt of the state.
Cite this entry
APA

odious debt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/odious%20debt

MLA

“odious debt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/odious%20debt. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “odious debt,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/odious%20debt.

Source: odious debt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.