odd

[ od ]

/ ɒd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: odd / odder / oddest / odds on Thesaurus.com

adjective, odd·er, odd·est.

differing in nature from what is ordinary, usual, or expected: an odd choice.

singular or peculiar in a strange or eccentric way: an odd person; odd manners.

fantastic; bizarre: Her taste in clothing was rather odd.

leaving a remainder of 1 when divided by 2, as a number (opposed to even): Numbers like 3, 15, and 181 are odd numbers.

more or less, especially a little more (used in combination with a round number): I owe three hundred-odd dollars.

being a small amount in addition to what is counted or specified: I have five gross and a few odd dozens.

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

remaining after all others are paired, grouped, or divided into equal numbers or parts: Everybody gets two hamburgers and I get the odd one.

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

(of a pair) not matching: Do you know you're wearing an odd pair of socks?

not forming part of any particular group, set, or class: to pick up odd bits of information.

not regular, usual, or full-time; occasional; casual: odd jobs.

out-of-the-way; secluded: a tour to the odd parts of the Far East.

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

noun

something that is odd.

Golf.

a stroke more than the opponent has played.
British. a stroke taken from a player's total score for a hole in order to give him or her odds.

OTHER WORDS FOR odd

1 extraordinary, unusual, rare, uncommon.

See synonyms for odd on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR odd

1 ordinary, usual, common.

See antonyms for odd on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of odd

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

synonym study for odd

1. See strange.

OTHER WORDS FROM odd

oddly, adverboddness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH odd

ad, add, odd

Words nearby odd

oda, odah, odalisque, Oda Nobunaga, O'Day, odd, oddball, odd couple, odd-even check, Odd Fellow, oddish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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?

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

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

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.

How to use odd in a sentence

First off, the middle column had an odd product, which meant every middle digit had to be odd.
Can You Cross Like A Boss?|Zach Wissner-Gross|February 12, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Even so, seeing the Wizards take the court without Beal will be an odd sight Friday.
Bradley Beal will miss Friday’s game against the Knicks for rest|Ava Wallace|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
One of the odder sensations came from the Fruity Pebbles version.
‘Cereal snacks’ are just bigger cereal for people too lazy to add milk|Emily Heil|February 9, 2021|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.
4 new movies that explore — or predict — a year dominated by a pandemic|Alissa Wilkinson|February 5, 2021|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.
Which Of The NHL’s Best Teams So Far Are For Real?|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|February 5, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
I've seen video of that satirical guide to SXSW in 1998 where you asked a bunch of bands odd questions.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As the controversy unfurled late Monday, it created some odd bedfellows.
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|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.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s Balmain Campaign: High Fashion Meets Low Culture|Amy Zimmerman|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Would he have been careful enough to destroy the odd pieces of jute you've left so messily about?
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tom Angell, founder of nonprofit Marijuana Majority, says the whole thing is a bit odd.
Tribes to U.S. Government: Take Your Weed and Shove It|Abby Haglage|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Do you know, Monsieur, that just as we were coming into Moulins, we remarked your odd-looking cabriolet de poste.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
He heard himself saying lightly, though with apparent lack of interest: 'How curious, Lettice, how very odd!
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
There is an odd triangular-shaped hill that rises on one side very boldly and abruptly, called the Fox's Head.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
He sang the words with an odd, emphatic slowness, turning to look at Lettice between the phrases.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Nothing was out of the ordinary except that the Professor developed an odd trick of continually glancing at his right hand.
Uncanny Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for odd

odd

/ (ɒd) /

adjective

unusual or peculiar in appearance, character, etc

occasional, incidental, or randomodd jobs

leftover or additionalodd bits of wool

not divisible by two
represented or indicated by a number that is not divisible by twographs are on odd pages Compare even 1 (def. 7)

being part of a matched pair or set when the other or others are missingan odd sock; odd volumes

(in combination) used to designate an indefinite quantity more than the quantity specified in round numbersfifty-odd pounds

out-of-the-way or secludedodd corners

maths (of a function) changing sign but not absolute value when the sign of the independent variable is changed, as in y=x³See even 1 (def. 13)

odd man out a person or thing excluded from others forming a group, unit, etc

noun

golf

one stroke more than the score of one's opponent
an advantage or handicap of one stroke added to or taken away from a player's score

a thing or person that is odd in sequence or number

Derived forms of odd