odd

adjective

\ ˈäd

Definition of odd

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

2a : 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

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

b : marked by an odd number of units needed two odd-length boards, one of three feet and one of five feet

c : 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

4a : not regular, expected, or planned worked at odd jobs

b : encountered or experienced from time to time : occasional manages to get in some reading at odd moments

5 : having an out-of-the-way location : remote found it in some odd corner of the house

6 : differing markedly from the usual, ordinary, or accepted : peculiar a very odd way to show gratitude

ODD

abbreviation

Definition of ODD (Entry 2 of 2)

oppositional defiant disorder

Other Words from odd Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about odd

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for odd

Synonyms: Adjective

unmatched, unpaired

Antonyms: Adjective

matched, paired

Choose the Right Synonym for odd

Adjective

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

Examples of odd in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The idea that a creature successful enough to reach reproductive maturity would want to mess with the genetic formula is also odd. — Jon Kelvey, Smithsonian, "The Evolution of Sex Could Have Provided a Defense Against Cancer Cells," 11 June 2019 Henry George wrote at a time when Thomas Malthus’s theory of population was ascendant here—which seems odd, considering how thinly populated the country was then. — Marilynne Robinson, Harper's magazine, "Is Poverty Necessary?," 10 June 2019 And what’s so odd about all of this is that one of the most compelling Finals in recent memory is unfolding during a time when so many of the biggest storylines seemed to be off the court. — Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, "As Warriors go haywire, Kerr turns to inner Pop," 7 June 2019 The number of greens used in gumbo z'herbes must be odd. — Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al.com, "Southern chefs, food writers celebrate iconic restaurateur Leah Chase in photos," 4 June 2019 In place of a conventional automatic's torque converter, this dual-clutch six-speed transmission uses two clutch packs to couple the engine to the transmission—one that's engaged when an odd gear is selected, the other for evens. — Clifford Atiyeh, Car and Driver, "What You Need to Know about Ford's PowerShift Transmission Problems," 13 May 2019 In Season 8, episode three, our GOT heroes were busy celebrating their epic if not totally believable win against the Night King and the White Walkers and, in the midst of the revelry, there was something...odd. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Sophie Turner Says Coffee Cup-Gate Is All Emilia Clarke's Fault," 12 May 2019 Apart from the odd Midnight Mass and Easter Sunday morning service, the interior of the cathedral remained fairly removed from my daily life. — Monique Valeris, ELLE Decor, "Top Designers on What Notre-Dame Means to Them," 17 Apr. 2019 In an odd way, that is probably the best thing about the XPS 13 Developer Edition. — Scott Gilbertson, Ars Technica, "The 2018 XPS 13 Developer’s Edition—Have it your way on a “just works” Linux laptop," 12 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'odd.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.