Odysseus

American  

[oh-dis-ee-uhs, oh-dis-yoos] / oʊˈdɪs i əs, oʊˈdɪs yus /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. king of Ithaca; son of Laertes; one of the heroes of the Iliad and protagonist of the Odyssey: shrewdest of the Greek leaders in the Trojan War.

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Odysseus British  

/ əˈdiːsɪəs /

noun

1. Roman name: Ulysses.  Greek myth one of the foremost of the Greek heroes at the siege of Troy, noted for his courage and ingenuity. His return to his kingdom of Ithaca was fraught with adventures in which he lost all his companions and he was acknowledged by his wife Penelope only after killing her suitors

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Odysseus Cultural  

1. A Greek hero in the Trojan War (see also Trojan War). Odysseus helped bring about the fall of Troy by conceiving the ruse of the Trojan horse. After Troy was ruined, Odysseus wandered for ten years trying to return home, having many adventures along the way. (See Circe, Cyclops, Penelope, Scylla and Charybdis, and Sirens.)

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Discover More

The story of Odysseus' journey home is told in the Odyssey of Homer. By extension, an “odyssey” is any long or difficult journey or transformation.

Example Sentences

“His whole approach to challenges was like Odysseus, or Achilles, or Napoleon. That explains the romantic self-image that propelled him throughout his whole life.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The big screen adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem stars Matt Damon, as the hero Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who is heading home from the Trojan War to rescue his wife and son.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

Intuitive Machines declared Odysseus dead a few weeks later.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Intuitive made news when its Odysseus spacecraft landed on the moon in February 2024.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

He found the divine nymph alone; Odysseus as usual was on the sandy shore letting his salt tears flow while he gazed at the empty sea.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton