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
-
In 2015, Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife’s disappearance, was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans on a murder warrant a day before HBO aired the final episode of a serial documentary about his life.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
On her trail are a Báthory relative who is vegetarian (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector and a gallery of eccentrics.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Moments of narration and visual maximalism — characters floating, feelings made literal — push the film into more experimental territory, while appearances from Rubén Blades and Cheech Marin add cultural texture.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
One thing Sandlin says SMU tries to ascertain about a player is their play character.—
Joseph Hoyt,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One dark place on a tight side street sold only 78 records and hand crank victrolas, not altogether odd with so many in Ireland still off the grid.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Every crank needs a foil, just as every vaccine skeptic benefits from herd immunity.—
Michael Tedder,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Recently Barnes & Noble has tried to convince more publishers to publish paperback originals, particularly for YA and middle grade books.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Clemens, attending for the first time since joining the company last year to lead international originals globally, pointed to the international acceptance of Indian content as central to the platform’s strategy.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
All told, 240 books and 117 magazines went past their eyes, many proofread in the kitchen, where pages could spread across the countertops while Hershon’s wife, Donna Brook, a poet, teacher, and editor herself, served mixed nuts and rooibos tea.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Things like turkey, eggs, dairy, nuts, and seeds all provide the building blocks for better sleep, Esra Soylucicek, a nutritional therapist at Reborne Longevity, explains.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Even Kathy Hilton is like a ghost of her former self, with Jen Tilly taking the crown of doddering kook away from her.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years, the term has come to have a slightly pejorative slant, signifying a marginal kook who never quite made it into leading-lady territory.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This isn’t the first time Tecovas has taken a maverick position.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
-
In 1992, Ross Perot ran as a maverick presidential candidate on one major issue, the peril of huge debts, deficits and especially interest payments that were devouring the budget and leaving less and less money for the retirees, health care and defense.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For all you macabre-loving weirdos, HorrorHound Weekend is a great opportunity to meet other fans and industry professionals, participate in costume contests, get an autograph from a celebrity slasher and more.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Before the internet, late-night television programming was where the weirdos found one another.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Codger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/codger. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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