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.—
John Edgar Wideman
John Edgar Wideman2
: 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 10 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
As Shah tries to manage the reactions of his family and friends, the show takes him on a odyssey through both London and his own psyche.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 19 May 2026
The photo-rich hardcover follows a 1,200-mile odyssey into the heart of the world’s driest non-polar desert, the Atacama Desert in Chile.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
This personal and profound odyssey follows basketball star Brittney Griner from her playing career and harrowing imprisonment in Russia through the extraordinary geopolitical battle to secure her freedom.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Is God Is is the most epic, Southern, Greek-odyssey-road-trip sisterhood of spirit.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for odyssey
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 19 May 2026
The photo-rich hardcover follows a 1,200-mile odyssey into the heart of the world’s driest non-polar desert, the Atacama Desert in Chile.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
This personal and profound odyssey follows basketball star Brittney Griner from her playing career and harrowing imprisonment in Russia through the extraordinary geopolitical battle to secure her freedom.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Is God Is is the most epic, Southern, Greek-odyssey-road-trip sisterhood of spirit.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for odyssey
Cite this Entry
“Odyssey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odyssey. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
