as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
just an old codger who never harmed anyone
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Recent Examples of codger
My job was to conceptualize and oversee a luncheon for fifty of these luminaries—with the help of a woozy codger standing in front of me.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
You meander in, consider the menu for a spell, then place your order — including the sort of beverage those codgers couldn’t imagine.
—Merrill Shindler, Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Indeed, exercise is for everyone, from toddlers to codgers.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2025
For older codgers like me who prefer golf clubs to nightclubs, a serene and charming alternative is the city of La Quinta, best known for its incomparable golf courses at PGA West and the historic La Quinta Resort & Club, another redolent whiff of Hollywood’s glorious days gone by.
—David Weiss, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Popular culture’s usual parade of toothless codgers and crones increasingly seemed obsolete.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Otto is also suicidal — something A Man Called Otto never sufficiently dramatizes, cheapening the codger’s despair as the film prepares for the feel-good ending to come.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Most residents can recite Arizona's 5 C's that have long been driven the state economy — copper, citrus, codgers and cactus candy.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 2 June 2024
Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
You meander in, consider the menu for a spell, then place your order — including the sort of beverage those codgers couldn’t imagine.
—Merrill Shindler, Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Indeed, exercise is for everyone, from toddlers to codgers.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2025
For older codgers like me who prefer golf clubs to nightclubs, a serene and charming alternative is the city of La Quinta, best known for its incomparable golf courses at PGA West and the historic La Quinta Resort & Club, another redolent whiff of Hollywood’s glorious days gone by.
—David Weiss, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Popular culture’s usual parade of toothless codgers and crones increasingly seemed obsolete.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Otto is also suicidal — something A Man Called Otto never sufficiently dramatizes, cheapening the codger’s despair as the film prepares for the feel-good ending to come.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Most residents can recite Arizona's 5 C's that have long been driven the state economy — copper, citrus, codgers and cactus candy.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 2 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for codger
Noun
-
As with all art forms, the world of nails offers something for everyone, from the austere to the eccentric.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Also, Joan Cusack plays an infamous local eccentric, and a fictional pop star shows up!—
Mary Sollosi,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The two main female characters, Avril Incandenza and Joelle van Dyne, both happen to be gorgeous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
They are balanced by just enough sweetness to offset the inherent salty character of the black beans, and infinitely complex.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Turning the crank handle on the right-hand side of the set launches the rocket upwards, with the booster rockets splitting off not long after take-off.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Kicking yourself doesn’t really do any good, so the next best thing to do is find a worthy replacement that not only has a similar style, but also captures the same charm as grandma’s originals.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
23 Jan. 2026
-
National Archives and Records Administration The exhibit features a number of historic papers, including an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence, printed from a copperplate of the original.—
Anna Alejo,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Antoine’s advancements in the propagation of pecan trees that produced high-quality pecans of reproducible form, then, resulted in these nuts being cultivated as a cash crop that could be mass produced.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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But the highlight is the bespoke smoothie bar, with a lip-smacking selection of fruit, seeds, milk, yogurt, and nuts, all blended together each morning.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Prizes will be available for participants in the categories of individual kook and group costume, judged by a panel composed of race partner Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
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What so many of these talking heads have in common—legitimate experts, well-meaning journalists, and kooks alike—is how costly their recommendations are.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bamberger, often regarded as a maverick, proved that degraded land could be revived.—
Lana Ferguson,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Hancock himself changed the genre forever through his maverick forays into jazz fusion in the 1970s.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The point was to create the conditions for a bunch of weirdos to sit around and ask questions of one another.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Horror film Weapons and sports movie F1 both made it into the top category, while the weirdo Bugonia bolstered its chances for a nomination after being left off the SAG and the DGA’s big lists.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Codger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/codger. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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