odd man out

Or odd-man-out

noun

1. a method of selecting or eliminating a person from a group, as by matching coins, especially in preparation for playing a game.

2. the person so selected or eliminated.

3. a game consisting of this method.

4. outsider.

Word History and Origins

Origin of odd man out¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Idioms and Phrases

A person who is left out of a group for some reason, as in The invitation was for couples only, so Jane was odd man out . [Mid-1800s]

Something or someone who differs markedly from the others in a group, as in Among all those ranch-style houses, their Victorian was odd man out . [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

I’m always the odd man out, walking out of rooms when the orange man is mentioned.

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When Chishiya’s partner loses his nerve, he’s left as the odd man out, relying on his insouciant swagger to exacerbate the other characters’ insecurities.

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However, he became the odd man out in the team’s bullpen after the Dodgers’ recent signings of Yates and left-hander Tanner Scott.

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Do you see yourself as the odd man out in that group?

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Richard Witsoe said he sometimes feels like the odd man out as one of two white men who live in this subsidized seniors building of about 300 residents.

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Related Words

• bohemian 
• dissenter 
• dropout 
• eccentric 
• freak 
• oddball 
• outsider 
• weirdo