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]

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Example Sentences

Tuohey’s decision to walk back the voluntary decision to divest more broadly is at odds with other Ivy League schools, including Brown, Dartmouth, and Harvard.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

The smiling group of eight at some point found themselves at odds with each other over their unifying prayer.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

Federal safety officials and lawmakers have been at odds over mandating systems enabling pilots to see nearby aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

The book established many of the themes that continue through Rowbottom’s fiction: women at odds with their bodies, mothers and daughters struggling toward one another, beauty as both aspiration and burden.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 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

Related Words

• awkward
• erroneous
• false
• ill-advised
• imprudent
• inaccurate
• inadmissible
• inappropriate
• incorrect
• irregular
• unwarranted
• wrong