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
-
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
-
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than dressing up as a Disney character, incorporate polka dots, fun prints like leopard, and red-and-black motifs throughout your vacation wardrobe.—
Irene Richardson,
InStyle,
6 Mar. 2026
-
For The Times) Tell me about the decision to say goodbye to this show and these characters.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Wearing a protective mask to avoid inhaling the dust, fill a hand-crank or push rotary spreader with pelletized lime.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that outlawed the possession and sale of bump stocks, along with trigger cranks and devices that make the gun operate like an automatic weapon.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The original features a man holding architectural drawings with the urban landscape in the background.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
March 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In place of the usual ground meat, a plethora of beans steps in to provide bulk, making the soup seem just as hearty as the original.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With a scientific advisory board that includes the top experts in microbiome research and clinical science, Seed focuses on nuts-to-bolts testing and scientific evidence.—
Brianna Peters,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Rethink the morning meal with ideas like a Greek yogurt bowl with chia seeds, eggs with black beans, cottage cheese with fruit or a smoothie made with milk and nut butter.—
LeeAnn Weintraub,
Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
O’Hara worked consistently across her 50-year career in both film and television, best known for playing beloved kooks and amiable wackos, though her range was boundless.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
-
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
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
-
Gus created a host of weirdos, rejects, and more in the book.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Leland and Riordan’s reactive approach to the work of a beloved composer, embellished only with timbre and junk percussion, places a cornerstone of American popular and classical music within their weirdo experimental purview.—
Aly Eleanor,
Pitchfork,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Codger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/codger. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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