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Synonyms

at odds

Idioms  

  1. In disagreement, opposed. For example, It is only natural for the young and old to be at odds over money matters. This idiom uses odds in the sense of “a condition of being unequal or different,” and transfers it to a difference of opinion, or quarrel. [Late 1500s]

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.

Since then, modern presidents have occasionally found themselves at odds with the Vatican.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

It's a message at odds with the hand-written sign on the clear plastic sheet taped across the empty doorframe of Zvi's blast-damaged balcony.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The U.S. blockade will now put these vessels and countries at odds on whether to comply or face confrontation with the enforcing navy, Commerzbank Research analysts said in a research report.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

While the common rhetoric often makes it seem like energy and environmental goals are at odds, examples among leading energy and transportation companies have shown otherwise.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

The man’s scowling, slightly brutish face was somehow at odds with his magnificent, sweeping robes, which were embroidered with much gold thread.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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.