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

That statement was in response to Reuters reporting that SpaceX had been at odds with Defense Department officials over what the Pentagon was paying to use its satellite-internet technology.

From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026

“On a number of issues that would primarily impact conditions in low-income communities, grassroots blacks have registered opinions that are sharply at odds with the positions taken by the civil rights cadres.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

In her bio, she calls herself "a Brooklyn lab rat", a description that feels at odds for someone now fronting some of the world's biggest fashion houses.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

The two countries have been at odds External link over issues unrelated to energy, including their opposing interventions in Yemen and increased competition for foreign investment dollars in entertainment, tourism, sports, and finance industries.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

They seemed to be nearly always at odds.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

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