What does "odd" mean?
Something left over, not forming part of a set.
Odd
/ɒd/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something left over, not forming part of a set.
- Grammar: odd is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: curious, peculiar, uneven, unpaired.
- Useful contrasts: common, even, even four-digit number.
- Usage evidence: Even times odd is even, odd times odd is odd.
How to use "odd"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "odd" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "odd" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "odd" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "odd" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "odd" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "curious" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "odd", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something left over, not forming part of a set. informal
"I’ve got three complete sets of these trading cards for sale, plus a few dozen odds."
- 2 Initialism of oppositional defiant disorder. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 3 An odd number. diminutive
"So let’s see. There are two evens here and three odds."
- 4 Initialism of optical disc drive. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Differing from what is usual, ordinary or expected. not-comparable, usually
"She slept in, which was very odd."
- 2 Differing from what is usual, ordinary or expected.; Peculiar, singular and strange in looks or character; eccentric, bizarre. not-comparable, usually
"[One of them would] say, 'Hi, Mother.' This might be Chrissie with the purple hair and black lipstick, or Adam, who usually wore odd leather stuff. Sometimes 'Hi' was all I heard; other times they'd stay and talk for a minute."
- 3 Without a corresponding mate in a pair or set; unmatched; (of a pair or set) mismatched. not-comparable, usually
"Optimistically, he had a corner of a drawer for odd socks."
- 4 Left over, remaining after the rest have been paired or grouped. not-comparable, usually
"I'm the odd one out."
- 5 Left over or remaining (as a small amount) after counting, payment, etc. not-comparable, usually
""Here, I have some odd change that should make things easier." As Tish turned and reached for the cigarettes, Eric took some loose coins from his pocket and placed the change from the twenty into his other pocket."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Scattered; occasional, infrequent; not forming part of a set or pattern. not-comparable, usually
"I don't speak Latin well, so in hearing a dissertation in Latin, I would only be able to make out the odd word of it."
- 7 Not regular or planned. not-comparable, usually
"He's only worked odd jobs."
- 8 Used or employed for odd jobs. not-comparable, usually
"The odd horse will now be employed in carting couch grass on to pasture land, carting hay, &c, to sheep in the field, carting roots, straw, &c, for feeding cattle in the boxes or dairy cows in the stalls or yards, and in various odd jobs on the farm ..."
- 9 Numerically indivisible by two. not-comparable, usually
"The product of two odd numbers is also odd."
- 10 Numbered with an odd number. not-comparable, usually
"How do I print only the odd pages?"
- 11 About, approximately; somewhat more than (an approximated round number). in-compounds, not-comparable, usually
"There were thirty-odd people in the room."
- 12 Out of the way, secluded. not-comparable, usually
""Well, isn't it a bit unusual to run into an old friend in an odd corner of the world like this?" I asked."
- 13 On the left. not-comparable, usually
"He served from the odd court."
- 14 Singular in excellence; matchless; peerless; outstanding. not-comparable, obsolete, usually
"He goes to Phrygia, and sees Scamander. "Happy are all," he says, "who are honoured by that odd clerk. Homer." In Macedonia, he finds hie mother."
Adjective
- 1 not easily explained wordnet
- 2 not divisible by two wordnet
- 3 an indefinite quantity more than that specified wordnet
- 4 not used up wordnet
- 5 beyond or deviating from the usual or expected wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 of the remaining member of a pair wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name.
- 2 Minced form of God.
"Odd's pittikins, Odd's blood, Odd's hounds, Odd's dickens, Od's fish, Od's heft"
Example
"Even times odd is even, odd times odd is odd."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "odd"?
Common synonyms include: curious, peculiar, uneven, unpaired, aberrant, abnormal.
How do you use "odd" in a sentence?
Even times odd is even, odd times odd is odd.
How do you pronounce "odd"?
Pronounced /ɒd/.
Etymology
From Middle English odde, od (“odd (not even); leftover after division into pairs”), from Old Norse oddi (“odd, third or additional number; triangle”), from oddr (“point of a weapon”), from Proto-Germanic *uzdaz (“point”), from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to stick, prick, pierce, sting”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to set, place”). Cognate to Icelandic oddi (“triangle, point of land, odd number”), Swedish udda (“odd”), udd (“a point”), Danish od (“point of weapon””) and odde (“a headland, point”), Norwegian Bokmål odde (“a point”, “odd”, “peculiar”); related to Old English ord (“a point”). Doublet of ord ("point").