The Odyssey

Cultural  

1. An ancient Greek epic by Homer that recounts the adventures of Odysseus during his return from the war in Troy to his home in the Greek island of Ithaca. (See Odysseus and Troy under “Mythology and Folklore”; see also Penelope, Circe, and Cyclops.)

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Figuratively, an “odyssey” is any difficult, prolonged journey.

Example Sentences

The Odyssey is a residential, around-the-world cruise that was scheduled to depart from Belfast in May 2024, but was beset by months of delays as the ship underwent repair work.

From BBC • May 11, 2025

The Odyssey schools will welcome students back Monday.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025

Prior to the 20th century, the oceans were central to human popular culture, as evident from Homer's "The Odyssey" to Shakespeare's "The Tempest" to Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick."

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2023

Back in 1988, Madrid-based pharmaceutical company PharmaMar organized an expedition to the storied site, an abrupt outcrop thought to have inspired Homer's tale in The Odyssey about singing sirens luring sailors to their death.

From Scientific American • Aug. 27, 2022

I’d sit in the chair and read to him from various paperbacks I’d bring in, stuff like The Odyssey or One Thousand and One Nights.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro