odd

1 of 3

adjective

ˈäd

Synonyms of odd next

: differing markedly from the usual, ordinary, or accepted : peculiar

a very odd way to show gratitude

: not regular, expected, or planned

worked at odd jobs

: encountered or experienced from time to time : occasional

manages to get in some reading at odd moments

: being without a corresponding (see corresponding sense 1) mate

an odd shoe

b(1)

: left over after others are paired or grouped

came without his wife and thus turned out to be the odd guest at the party

(2)

: separated from a set or series

had in his possession only two or three odd volumes of the original 12-volume set

: being any of the integers (such as −3, −1, +1, and +3) that are not divisible by two without leaving a remainder

: marked by an odd number of units

needed two odd-length boards, one of three feet and one of five feet

: being a function (see function entry 1 sense 5a) such that f (−x) = −f (x) where the sign is reversed but the absolute value remains the same if the sign of the independent variable is reversed

: somewhat more than the indicated approximate quantity, extent, or degree

—usually used in combination

300-odd pages

b(1)

: left over as a remainder

had a few odd dollars left after paying his bills

(2)

: constituting a small amount

had some odd change in her pocket

: having an out-of-the-way location : remote

found it in some odd corner of the house

oddness noun

odd

2 of 3

interjection

variant spelling of od

archaic

—used as a mild oath

ODD

3 of 3

abbreviation

oppositional defiant disorder

Choose the Right Synonym for odd

strange, singular, unique, peculiar, eccentric, erratic, odd, quaint, outlandish mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected.

strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.

a journey filled with strange sights

singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness.

a singular feeling of impending disaster

unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel.

a career unique in the annals of science

peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness.

the peculiar status of America's First Lady

eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior.

the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers

erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating.

a friend's suddenly erratic behavior

odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected.

an odd sense of humor

quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness.

a quaint fishing village

outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric.

outlandish fashions of the time

Example Sentences

Adjective She had an odd look on her face. People would call at odd hours during the night. She's got a really odd sense of humor. Some rather odd people used to live in this house. There was something odd about his story. It's odd that nobody told me about this before. That's odd. He was here a minute ago. That is one of the oddest creatures I have ever seen. She kept a stack of magazines that she would read at odd moments. During the summer, he would do odd jobs for his neighbors to earn extra money. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That trauma caused the siblings to set up a new system where children would never have to go through the pain of losing a parent again… although kidnapping them from their actual parents does seem like an odd way to go about it. —

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 May 2023 The relentless buzz has put Zevin in an odd position as a midcareer novelist. —

Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 26 May 2023 The pair worked odd jobs on the side and helped take care of their mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. —

Emilie Eaton, San Antonio Express-News, 24 May 2023 An endangered language family suggests that early humans used their bodies as a model for reality One morning in December 2004, elders and children were wandering on the shore of Strait Island in the Bay of Bengal when one of them noticed something odd. —

Anvita Abbi, Scientific American, 16 May 2023 NBCUniversal’s efforts to broadcast the spectacle of the Olympics has long faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge: How to telecast sporting events that often take place in odd parts of the day? —

Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 May 2023 During that visit, Theresa mentioned to her that something odd had been happening. —

Veronica Fulton, NBC News, 6 May 2023 Washington seems like an odd location for such a place, no? —

John Kelly, Washington Post, 5 May 2023 My father consulted on accelerator projects in South Korea, Germany, Japan, and elsewhere, finding his niche in the odd community of scientific machine builders. —

Byadrian Cho, science.org, 4 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'odd.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English odde, from Old Norse oddi point of land, triangle, odd number; akin to Old English ord point of a weapon

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Time Traveler

The first known use of odd was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Odd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odd. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

odd

adjective

ˈäd

: being only one of a pair or set

an odd shoe

: somewhat more than the number mentioned

50-odd years ago

: being any number that cannot be divided evenly by 2

1, 3, 5, and 7 are odd numbers

: marked by an odd number

an odd year

: additional to or apart from what is usual, expected, or planned on

odd jobs

: not usual or traditional : strange

what an odd thing to do

oddness noun

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English odde "odd," from an early Norse word oddi (noun) "a point of land, triangle, odd number"

Word Origin

In the early Norse language, the word oddi was first used to mean "a point of land." Then, because one corner of a triangle looks something like a point of land sticking out into the sea, oddi came to mean "triangle." A triangle that has one long point, like a point of land, may be thought of as having two paired angles and one angle left over. In time, the Norse came to call something that was not matched or paired up "oddi." This was used for an odd number, one left over after all other numbers were paired up. It was also used for an odd man, one who in a voting situation could break a tie with his vote. When the word was taken into English in the Middle Ages, it had the meaning of an odd number like 3, 5, or 7 that cannot be divided evenly by 2. Later it came to mean something that stood out from others as being different or strange.