odyssey
noun
a long series of wanderings or adventures, especially when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.
odyssey
American
[od-uh-see]
/ ˈɒd ə si /
noun
-
odysseys
plural
-
a long series of wanderings or adventures, especially when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.
-
The Odyssey. an epic poem attributed to Homer, describing Odysseus's adventures in his ten-year attempt to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
Odyssey
British
/ ˈɒdɪsɪ /
noun
-
a Greek epic poem, attributed to Homer, describing the ten-year homeward wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy
-
(often not capital) any long eventful journey
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How does odyssey compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Ever since Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey told the story of warrior Odysseus’ ten-year journey home from Troy, odyssey has meant any epic journey. As with the word journey, odyssey has both a literal meaning and a figurative one. A cross-country drive in which your car breaks down can be an odyssey, but so can the journey from orientation to finals that is the freshman year of college.
Vocabulary lists containing odyssey
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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.
See Examples For:
"It is a completely different experience," said photographer Hemant Chaturvedi, 58, who has documented what remains during a seven-year odyssey, photographing 1,350 single-screen cinemas across 1,000 towns.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Mr. Theroux’s Canadian odyssey is unlike the other two, being profoundly personal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
In terms of the album’s reception history, “Revolver” has enjoyed a strange odyssey in the United States.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
And it reminds us that there are still lands to discover on the odyssey that is quantum research.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
And like McCandless, upon embarking on his terminal odyssey, Ruess adopted a new name or, rather, a series of new names.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
The video shows a woman emerging from a Honda Odyssey parked at 926 W. Park Lane. at 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 8 and laying kibble on the ground near the driver’s door of the car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
According to the show's curators, elements of Flaxman's sketches can be seen in Turner's painting called Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus – Homer's Odyssey, including outlines of horses in the sunset and the shadow of a cyclops.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The film industry rode blockbusters like Spider Man and The Odyssey to a record for domestic ticket sales, Rentrak preliminary data show.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
L.A. theater director Bart DeLorenzo adapts and directs a new version of Ibsen’s savagely timely ‘Enemy of the People’ at the Odyssey Theatre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
In the Odyssey she is still called Ino, but later her name was changed to Leucothea and her son was called Palaemon.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Desperate cinema buffs are going on real-life odysseys to secure seats in the first deluxe screenings—including showings at 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. on opening weekend for “The Odyssey” next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The international team of researchers were able to piece together the separate odysseys from photos of the whales' tails -- including some taken by amateur photographers on cruises -- captured decades apart.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
In person, she has a newfound ease and confidence that suggests her nocturnal odysseys paid off.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
But the eye reflex test, on its own, could clear the way to more expedient autism diagnosis for kids today, saving families from long diagnostic odysseys.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2024
The same which you had given Odysseus for we too endure our own odysseys.
From Rhyme and Reason; a Compilation of Verses, Rhymes and Senses by Dom
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.
