Odyssey
Americannoun
plural
Odysseys-
(italics) an epic poem attributed to Homer, describing Odysseus's adventures in his ten-year attempt to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
-
(often lowercase) a long series of wanderings or adventures, especially when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.
noun
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a Greek epic poem, attributed to Homer, describing the ten-year homeward wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy
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(often not capital) any long eventful journey
Other Word Forms
- Odyssean adjective
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While rudimentary, the Odyssey broke a barrier in the world of television.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Enrollment at Odyssey Charter Schools’ two campuses — which included elementary and middle-school grades — had been growing before the fire.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025
“Why didn’t you follow through on giving Anna a car???” one TikToker among thousands commented on a Honda video promoting its Odyssey minivan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025
They climbed back aboard the Odyssey and prayed the heat shield had not been damaged.
From BBC • Aug. 8, 2025
The Iliad and Odyssey were composed and transmitted by nonliterate bards for nonliterate listeners, and not committed to writing until the development of the Greek alphabet hundreds of years later.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
