odyssey

noun

od·​ys·​sey ˈä-də-sē 

plural odysseys

1

: a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune

… his odyssey from rural South to urban North, from poverty to affluence, from Afro-American folk culture to a Eurocentric world of books.

—John Edgar Wideman

2

: an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest

an odyssey of self-discovery

a spiritual odyssey from disbelief to faith

Did you know?

Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey, spends 20 years traveling home from the Trojan War. He has astonishing adventures and learns a great deal about himself and the world; he even descends to the underworld to talk to the dead. Thus, an odyssey is any long, complicated journey, often a quest for a goal, and may be a spiritual or psychological journey as well as an actual voyage.

Examples of odyssey in a Sentence

The story is about the emotional odyssey experienced by a teenage girl.

the spiritual odyssey of the deeply religious

Recent Examples on the Web

The Chicago singer and producer’s hairpin-turning odyssey through hip-hop, jazz, and experimental music elevates her artistry with each crushing revelation. —Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025

This is all basically the setup for a picaresque odyssey in which Marty tirelessly chases his dream, shrugging off humiliations and hostilities, and eventually reconsidering Japan on his own terms. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025

And, to top it off, Vacheron Constantin unveiled a new series of Les Cabinotiers watches that pays homage to astronomy and the odysseys of ancient times. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2025

After Camp Half-Blood’s protective border is breached, Percy Jackson embarks on an epic odyssey into the Sea of Monsters in search of his best friend Grover and the one thing that may save the camp—the Golden Fleece. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 30 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

the Odyssey, epic poem attributed to Homer recounting the long wanderings of Odysseus

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for odyssey

• geodesy

Kids Definition

odyssey

noun

od·​ys·​sey ˈäd-ə-sē 

plural odysseys

: a long wandering or series of travels

Etymology

named for the Odyssey, a long poem from ancient Greece telling the story of the 10-year wanderings of Odysseus, a Greek hero and king