odder; oddest
1
: differing markedly from the usual, ordinary, or accepted : peculiar
a very odd way to show gratitude
2
a
: not regular, expected, or planned
worked at odd jobs
b
: encountered or experienced from time to time : occasional
manages to get in some reading at odd moments
3
a
: being without a corresponding (see corresponding sense 1) mate
an odd shoe
b(1)
: left over after others are paired or grouped
came without his wife and thus turned out to be the odd guest at the party
(2)
: separated from a set or series
had in his possession only two or three odd volumes of the original 12-volume set
4
a
: being any of the integers (such as −3, −1, +1, and +3) that are not divisible by two without leaving a remainder
b
: marked by an odd number of units
needed two odd-length boards, one of three feet and one of five feet
c
: being a function (see function entry 1 sense 5a) such that f (−x) = −f (x) where the sign is reversed but the absolute value remains the same if the sign of the independent variable is reversed
5
a
: somewhat more than the indicated approximate quantity, extent, or degree
—usually used in combination
300-odd pages
b(1)
: left over as a remainder
had a few odd dollars left after paying his bills
(2)
: constituting a small amount
had some odd change in her pocket
6
: having an out-of-the-way location : remote
found it in some odd corner of the house
oddness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of odd in a Sentence
Adjective
She had an odd look on her face.
People would call at odd hours during the night.
She's got a really odd sense of humor.
Some rather odd people used to live in this house.
There was something odd about his story.
It's odd that nobody told me about this before.
That's odd. He was here a minute ago.
That is one of the oddest creatures I have ever seen.
She kept a stack of magazines that she would read at odd moments.
During the summer, he would do odd jobs for his neighbors to earn extra money.
Recent Examples on the Web
Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Behind layers of clothes, underwear, CDs, records, and other odd items and products for sale, Sean Carter oversees the store from behind the counter.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, SPIN, 20 Nov. 2024
Seeing himself for the first time again Though Derek's recovery was remarkable, an odd phenomenon that no one could fully explain affected him for almost five months after he was injured.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
Even with such an expansion afoot, odd missteps, hinky plotholes, and confounding questions still abound.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for odd 
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Adjective
Conservatorship is an odd legal place for any organization to reside for an extended period—with a third party (in this case FHFA) in operational control.
—Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Behind layers of clothes, underwear, CDs, records, and other odd items and products for sale, Sean Carter oversees the store from behind the counter.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, SPIN, 20 Nov. 2024
Seeing himself for the first time again Though Derek's recovery was remarkable, an odd phenomenon that no one could fully explain affected him for almost five months after he was injured.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
Even with such an expansion afoot, odd missteps, hinky plotholes, and confounding questions still abound.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for odd
Articles Related to odd
Dictionary Entries Near odd
Cite this Entry
“Odd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odd. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
odd
adjective1
: being only one of a pair or set
an odd shoe
2
: somewhat more than the number mentioned
50-odd years ago
3
a
: being any number that cannot be divided evenly by 2
1, 3, 5, and 7 are odd numbers
b
: marked by an odd number
an odd year
4
: additional to or apart from what is usual, expected, or planned on
odd jobs
5
: not usual or traditional : strange
what an odd thing to do
oddness
noun
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English odde "odd," from an early Norse word oddi (noun) "a point of land, triangle, odd number"
Word Origin
In the early Norse language, the word oddi was first used to mean "a point of land." Then, because one corner of a triangle looks something like a point of land sticking out into the sea, oddi came to mean "triangle." A triangle that has one long point, like a point of land, may be thought of as having two paired angles and one angle left over. In time, the Norse came to call something that was not matched or paired up "oddi." This was used for an odd number, one left over after all other numbers were paired up. It was also used for an odd man, one who in a voting situation could break a tie with his vote. When the word was taken into English in the Middle Ages, it had the meaning of an odd number like 3, 5, or 7 that cannot be divided evenly by 2. Later it came to mean something that stood out from others as being different or strange.
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