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

George’s odyssey brings him into the orbit of a kind night watchman, Ife (Benjamin Clémentine), responsible for making sure London’s citizens have turned out their lights after dark. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024

It’s regarded as a landmark in his musical odyssey and a source of inspiration for a generation of artists and musicians. —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024

The cast of Swept Away, the about-to-open Broadway musical that follows four whalers on an odyssey of survival and salvation, are a tight crew. —Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024

Correspondent Lee Cowan talked with Rock and Laufer, and with Jacob's father, Paul, about a remarkable musical odyssey. —David Morgan, CBS News, 3 Oct. 2024

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

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