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• odd
  odd

  adjective

  differing in nature from what is ordinary, usual, or expected.
• ODD
  ODD

  abbreviation

  oppositional defiant disorder: a behavioral disorder characterized by habitual aggression and hostility, resistance to authority, outbursts of rage, etc., that interfere with normal functioning and relationships.

odd

¹ American  

[od] / ɒd /

adjective

• odder,
  comparative
• oddest
  superlative

1. differing in nature from what is ordinary, usual, or expected.

   His ice cream had an odd choice of topping combinations.

   Synonyms:

   uncommon, rare, unusual, extraordinary

   Antonyms:

   common, usual, ordinary

2. singular or peculiar in a strange or eccentric way.

   She can be an odd person sometimes.

   The group were known for their odd manners.

3. fantastic; bizarre.

   Her taste in clothing was rather odd.

4. (of a number) leaving a remainder of 1 when divided by 2 (opposed to even).

   The numbers 3, 15, and 181 are odd.

5. more or less, especially a little more (used in combination with a round number).

   I owe three hundred-odd dollars.

6. being a small amount in addition to what is counted or specified.

   I have five gross and a few odd dozens.

7. being part of a pair, set, or series of which the rest is lacking.

   I found an odd glove in the back of the drawer.

8. remaining after all others are paired, grouped, or divided into equal numbers or parts.

   Everybody gets two hamburgers and I get the odd one.

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

   After we finished the jigsaw puzzle, there was one odd piece that didn't seem to fit anywhere.

10. (of a pair) not matching.

    Do you know you're wearing an odd pair of socks?

11. not forming part of any particular group, set, or class.

    He tends to pick up odd bits of information that can be useful in unexpected situations.

12. happening, coming, found, etc., irregularly or only now and then; occasional.

    She saved up money doing odd jobs over the summer break.

    We didn’t see any interesting birds other than the odd hawk.

13. out-of-the-way; secluded.

    We took a tour to the odd parts of the country.

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

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noun

1. something that is odd.

2. Golf.

   1. a stroke more than the opponent has played.

   2. British. a stroke taken from a player's total score for a hole in order to give them odds.

ODD ² American  

[oh-dee-dee] / ˈoʊˈdiˈdi /

abbreviation

1. oppositional defiant disorder: a behavioral disorder characterized by habitual aggression and hostility, resistance to authority, outbursts of rage, etc., that interfere with normal functioning and relationships.

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odd British  

/ ɒd /

adjective

1. unusual or peculiar in appearance, character, etc

2. occasional, incidental, or random

   odd jobs

3. leftover or additional

   odd bits of wool

4. 1. not divisible by two

   2. represented or indicated by a number that is not divisible by two Compare even 1

      graphs are on odd pages

5. being part of a matched pair or set when the other or others are missing

   an odd sock

   odd volumes

6. (in combination) used to designate an indefinite quantity more than the quantity specified in round numbers

   fifty-odd pounds

7. out-of-the-way or secluded

   odd corners

8. maths (of a function) changing sign but not absolute value when the sign of the independent variable is changed, as in y=x³ See even 1

9. a person or thing excluded from others forming a group, unit, etc

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noun

1. golf

   1. one stroke more than the score of one's opponent

   2. an advantage or handicap of one stroke added to or taken away from a player's score

2. a thing or person that is odd in sequence or number

odd Scientific  

/ ŏd /

1. Divisible by 2 with a remainder of 1, such as 17 or −103.

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Usage

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.

Synonym Usage

See strange.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oddness
  noun
• oddly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• odder
  comparative
• oddest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of odd¹

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

Origin of ODD²

First recorded in 1980, in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Explanation

The numbers 1, 3, 5, and 35 are all odd numbers — they can't be divided by two. They are not even. Also, things that are weird or strange are called odd. This word covers things that are slightly off-kilter, like odd numbers. You can use odd for a single thing that belongs in a pair, like an odd sock or odd mitten. If someone wants you to do odd jobs, that could mean almost anything: odd jobs are random and unpredictable jobs that could come up. When you describe a person as odd, or that they’re exhibiting odd behavior, it means they're peculiar and out of the ordinary.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

odd ODD odder oddest

It’s odd, the things that land with you.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The billionaire President offers an odd critique of companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Bath University professor David Ellis points out that each new technological trend - including the very use of mobile phones - has often prompted odd looks when deployed in public.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

"It's a very expensive, very odd addiction," Warning said with a laugh.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The more time I spent with this odd girl, the more I wanted to.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

This involves shuttle services, limited areas, relatively slow speeds — they are typically ODD, which is learned and programmed.

From The Verge ● Jan. 18, 2022

I you throw a label on a kid like ODD, if your resources are limited anyway, that of course impacts how you treat that kid and how you perceive that.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2021

Nick Stickland is the co-founder of ODD, the London advertising agency behind a recent campaign for Jacamo that celebrated the notion of “big”.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 25, 2020

I am far from an expert in how to best support students with ODD, but I do know that one of the most important things they need is consistency.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2020

“All right, so this ODD of yours,” he says.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

All of this makes it seem odder that Google has become one of the biggest thorns in Nvidia’s side.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026

Among one of the odder entries in Tuesday's document drop was a fake video showing an Epstein-like figure in a prison cell, which raised questions of how it had appeared in the department's official files.

From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025

It was one of the odder tit-for-tat battles to have emerged so far in the federal case accusing former President Donald J. Trump of plotting to subvert the 2020 election.

From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2024

TEMPE, Ariz. — One of the odder things about the Kraken’s latest in a string of bottom-feeding opponents was that this one somehow boasts a winning record playing at their pint-size home arena.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2023

“Ayama yuman,” said the creature, and then something even odder happened: the creatures laughed.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

I don’t know your brother, but I do know — from letters to this column — that people do the oddest things.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

A recurring song, “Stranger” by Sweden’s Anna von Hausswolff, creates an ethereal, floating sensation like one of the oddest Lana Del Rey compositions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

Of all the oddball companies that have come to define the current era of artificial intelligence hype, Elon Musk’s xAI stands out as perhaps the oddest.

From Slate ● May 16, 2025

What music video veteran Guilhaume found most thrilling about visualizing this oddest of musicals was how narrative was always his main concern.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025

Other people who had taken the time to dress had dressed in the oddest things, choosing things they wanted to save rather than what would be appropriate for a disaster.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

Related Words

• different
• miscellaneous
• unusual