Odyssey
noun /ˈɒdɪsi/ — A long, eventful journey — especially one of discovery and trials.
Definition
A long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune; a series of adventures or journey of transformation — specifically one that shapes or tests the traveller through difficulty.
Beyond the definition
The odyssey is the journey that changes the traveller. Not a trip but a transformation — the person who returns is not the person who left. Homer's Odysseus spent ten years trying to get home; the journey itself became the point. Any journey sufficiently difficult and sufficiently long begins to feel like one.
Origin & history
From Greek Odysseia — the title of Homer's epic poem about the wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy. Became a common noun in English in the 19th century for any long wandering journey of discovery and trial.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Her odyssey through the legal system lasted three years and cost her everything except her determination.
The road trip had begun as a holiday and become an odyssey — they were not sure they wanted to arrive.
He described his education as an odyssey — no straight line, just encounters and transformations.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Odyssey” when the meaning fits your context: A long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune; a series of adventures or journey of transformation — specifically one that shapes or tests the traveller through difficulty.
Synonyms
epic journey, adventure, voyage, quest
Antonyms
direct trip, short journey
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
He had meant the trip to take three weeks. It took three years.
Not because anything went wrong — or rather, because everything kept going in directions he hadn't expected. A missed connection led to a month in a city he'd never intended to visit. A conversation on a bus led to a job that lasted a winter. Each delay was, in retrospect, the point.
"I kept thinking I was off course," he said, back home finally. "But there was no course. The detours were the journey. I just didn't know what kind of traveller I was until I couldn't go back."
Questions about this word
What does "Odyssey" mean?
Odyssey is noun meaning: A long, eventful journey — especially one of discovery and trials.. A long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune; a series of adventures or journey of transformation — specifically one that shapes or tests the traveller through difficulty.
Where does the word "Odyssey" come from?
From Greek Odysseia — the title of Homer's epic poem about the wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy. Became a common noun in English in the 19th century for any long wandering journey of discovery and trial.