odyssey

noun

od·​ys·​sey ˈä-də-sē 

plural odysseys

1

: a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune

his odyssey from rural South to urban North, from poverty to affluence, from Afro-American folk culture to a Eurocentric world of books

—J. E. Wideman

2

: an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest

an odyssey of self-discovery

a spiritual odyssey from disbelief to faith

Did you know?

Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey, spends 20 years traveling home from the Trojan War. He has astonishing adventures and learns a great deal about himself and the world; he even descends to the underworld to talk to the dead. Thus, an odyssey is any long, complicated journey, often a quest for a goal, and may be a spiritual or psychological journey as well as an actual voyage.

Examples of odyssey in a Sentence

The story is about the emotional odyssey experienced by a teenage girl.

the spiritual odyssey of the deeply religious

Recent Examples on the Web

But after loading all her worldly possessions into the back of Sam’s decaying van-cab, what should have been a simple fare becomes a wild, late-night odyssey. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 6 May 2025

At age 14, Tom Schröder had no idea that his passion for sailing would lead him to an ocean odyssey spanning the globe. —Katia Damborsky, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2025

All are present and accounted for in the reality-shattering odyssey of Max Renn (James Woods), a TV exec whose investigation into the broadcast of a mysterious snuff film has a profoundly destructive effect on his mind, body, and maybe soul. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025

The Washington Post: The odyssey of Abrego Garcia begins with a defunct registry. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

the Odyssey, epic poem attributed to Homer recounting the long wanderings of Odysseus

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for odyssey

• geodesy

Kids Definition

odyssey

noun

od·​ys·​sey ˈäd-ə-sē 

plural odysseys

: a long wandering or series of travels

Etymology

named for the Odyssey, a long poem from ancient Greece telling the story of the 10-year wanderings of Odysseus, a Greek hero and king