odd

¹

[ od ]

adjective

, odd·er, odd·est.

1. differing in nature from what is ordinary, usual, or expected:

   His ice cream had an odd choice of topping combinations.

   Synonyms: uncommon, rare, unusual, extraordinary

   Antonyms: common, usual, ordinary

2. singular or peculiar in a strange or eccentric way:

   She can be an odd person sometimes.

   The group were known for their odd manners.

3. fantastic; bizarre:

   Her taste in clothing was rather odd.

4. (of a number) leaving a remainder of 1 when divided by 2 ( even ):

   The numbers 3, 15, and 181 are odd.

5. more or less, especially a little more (used in combination with a round number):

   I owe three hundred-odd dollars.

6. being a small amount in addition to what is counted or specified:

   I have five gross and a few odd dozens.

7. being part of a pair, set, or series of which the rest is lacking:

   I found an odd glove in the back of the drawer.

8. remaining after all others are paired, grouped, or divided into equal numbers or parts:

   Everybody gets two hamburgers and I get the odd one.

9. left over after all others are used, consumed, etc.:

   After we finished the jigsaw puzzle, there was one odd piece that didn't seem to fit anywhere.

10. (of a pair) not matching:

    Do you know you're wearing an odd pair of socks?

11. not forming part of any particular group, set, or class:

    He tends to pick up odd bits of information that can be useful in unexpected situations.

12. happening, coming, found, etc., irregularly or only now and then; occasional:

    She saved up money doing odd jobs over the summer break.

    We didn’t see any interesting birds other than the odd hawk.

13. out-of-the-way; secluded:

    We took a tour to the odd parts of the country.

14. Mathematics. (of a function) having a sign that changes when the sign of each independent variable is changed at the same time.

noun

1. something that is odd.
2. Golf.
   1. a stroke more than the opponent has played.
   2. British. a stroke taken from a player's total score for a hole in order to give them odds.

ODD

²

[ oh-dee-dee ]

abbreviation for

1. oppositional defiant disorder: a behavioral disorder characterized by habitual aggression and hostility, resistance to authority, outbursts of rage, etc., that interfere with normal functioning and relationships.

odd

/ ɒd /

adjective

1. unusual or peculiar in appearance, character, etc
2. occasional, incidental, or random

   odd jobs

3. leftover or additional

   odd bits of wool

4. 1. not divisible by two
   2. represented or indicated by a number that is not divisible by two Compare even 1

      graphs are on odd pages

5. being part of a matched pair or set when the other or others are missing

   an odd sock

   odd volumes

6. in combination used to designate an indefinite quantity more than the quantity specified in round numbers

   fifty-odd pounds

7. out-of-the-way or secluded

   odd corners

8. See even
   maths (of a function) changing sign but not absolute value when the sign of the independent variable is changed, as in y=x³ See even 1
9. odd man out
   odd man out a person or thing excluded from others forming a group, unit, etc

noun

1. golf
   1. one stroke more than the score of one's opponent
   2. an advantage or handicap of one stroke added to or taken away from a player's score
2. a thing or person that is odd in sequence or number

odd

/ ŏd /

1. Divisible by 2 with a remainder of 1, such as 17 or −103.

Derived Forms

• ˈoddly, adverb
• ˈoddness, noun

Other Words From

• odd·ly adverb
• odd·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of odd¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English odde, from Old Norse oddi “odd (number)”

Origin of odd²

First recorded in 1980, in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Word History and Origins

Origin of odd¹

C14: odde: from Old Norse oddi point, angle, triangle, third or odd number. Compare Old Norse oddr point, spot, place; Old English ord point, beginning

Synonym Study

See strange.

Example Sentences

First off, the middle column had an odd product, which meant every middle digit had to be odd.

From FiveThirtyEight

Even so, seeing the Wizards take the court without Beal will be an odd sight Friday.

From Washington Post

One of the odder sensations came from the Fruity Pebbles version.

From Washington Post

Onscreen text at the beginning of The Pink Cloud tells us the film was written in 2017 and shot in 2019, which feels like an odd announcement to make to your audience.

From Vox

The same can even be said for the Winnipeg Jets, who are holding their own in the division odds despite trading uber-talented right wing Patrik Laine to the Columbus Blue Jackets a week and a half ago.

From FiveThirtyEight

I've seen video of that satirical guide to SXSW in 1998 where you asked a bunch of bands odd questions.

From The Daily Beast

As the controversy unfurled late Monday, it created some odd bedfellows.

From The Daily Beast

So when he told me, 'You can come to my show, but you can't come to see Phoebe, and you can't come to see Riccardo, that was odd.

From The Daily Beast

Would he have been careful enough to destroy the odd pieces of jute you've left so messily about?

From The Daily Beast

Tom Angell, founder of nonprofit Marijuana Majority, says the whole thing is a bit odd.

From The Daily Beast

Do you know, Monsieur, that just as we were coming into Moulins, we remarked your odd-looking cabriolet de poste.

From Project Gutenberg

He heard himself saying lightly, though with apparent lack of interest: 'How curious, Lettice, how very odd!

From Project Gutenberg

There is an odd triangular-shaped hill that rises on one side very boldly and abruptly, called the Fox's Head.

From Project Gutenberg

He sang the words with an odd, emphatic slowness, turning to look at Lettice between the phrases.

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing was out of the ordinary except that the Professor developed an odd trick of continually glancing at his right hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• different
• miscellaneous
• unusual

More About Odd

What is a basic definition of odd?

Odd refers to a number that will have a remainder of 1 when divided by 2. Odd also describes something that is unusual or weird. Odd has many other senses as an adjective and a few as a noun.

An odd number is any number that has a remainder of 1 when it’s divided by 2. For example, 7 divided by 2 is 3 with a remainder of 1. 7 is an odd number. On the other hand, 8 divided by 2 is 4 with no remainder. A number, such as 8, that has no remainder when divided by 2 is called an even number.

Real-life examples: 5, 11, 37, and 649 are examples of odd numbers.

Used in a sentence: I always like to cut my pizzas into an odd number of slices. 

Odd also describes something that is unusual or not what a person would expect.

Real-life examples: People often make odd choices or odd decisions that catch other people by surprise. For example, it might be considered odd to go swimming in regular clothing because people usually wear a bathing suit. A firefighter showing up to a fire in an ice cream truck would be odd because they are expected to drive fire trucks, which have firefighting tools.

Used in a sentence: They were caught off guard by the man’s odd choice of words. 

Odd can also refer to something that is very strange, weird, or bizarre.

Real-life examples: Works of fantasy like the Harry Potter series often include very odd creatures, such as plant monsters or giant, flying jellyfish. In everyday life, people may display odd behavior, such as walking on their hands down the street.

Used in a sentence: The circus clown drove an odd car that was shaped like a giant pie.

Where does odd come from?

The first records of odd come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Old Norse oddi meaning “odd (number).”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to odd?

• oddly (adverb)
• oddness (noun)

What are some synonyms for odd?

• unusual
• different
• surprising
• strange
• weird
• outlandish

What are some words that share a root or word element with odd? 

• oddball
• oddish
• oddity
• oddment
• odds
• odd-job
• odd man out
• odds and ends
• odd or even

What are some words that often get used in discussing odd?

• number
• sound
• seem
• duck
• bit

How is odd used in real life?

Odd is most commonly used to describe people or things that are unusual. It is also commonly used in the context of numbers.

95% of people feel uncomfortable when the TV volume is an odd number.

— Oluwatosin Babatunde Ezekiel Ibunkunoluwa 💞🍫🤗 (@Oluwatosinworld) November 21, 2020

Life has an odd way of teaching us lessons at times. Hope everyone makes good decisions and isn’t affected by what’s going on in the world rn. At the end of the day health is wealth and we tend to forget that.

— Neslo (@Neslo) March 12, 2020

Who else is in love with the smell of campfire smoke on your clothes and hair? Or is this very odd?

— Angela Sterritt (@AngelaSterritt) December 22, 2019

 

 

Try using odd!

Is odd used correctly in the following sentence?

It is odd to serve birthday cake at a birthday party.