odd man out
10
6.1
- noun
- Informal
- He felt like the odd man out at the party because everyone else knew each other.
- feel like the odd man out
- always the odd man out
- look like the odd man out
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Watch on YouTubeAnd I'm probably the odd man out in this conversation of the other EJ and MKI.
- And I'm probably the odd man out in this conversation of the other EJ and MKI.
- So I was automatically the odd man out, the minority, the weirdo, the dork, the dweeb, the honky.
Examples
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Norms and Jean fit right in, making Defoe feel more than ever the odd man out.
Fiction book (2000) -
No matter how hard I tried, I was always the odd man out, the last one picked, the screw-up, the black sheep.
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I was the odd man out and not going to these things.
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I, I think some of this comes from my having been the odd man out in so many circumstances throughout my life.
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Oh, am I the odd man out here?
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I may very well be, and probably am, the odd man out!
Blog text (21) -
I thought I was the odd man out.
Blog text (5) -
I'm the odd man out here.
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I feel like the odd man out, frankly.
Blog text (19) -
In today's busy world, we are often seen as the "odd man out" if we are not as busy as everyone else.
Blog text (4)
Synonyms
168
7.1
Something that is not normal or expected
150
4.1
An interesting or unusual person you notice because of how they act
138
7.0
A person who acts in a strange or unusual way
37
8.8
A person who behaves in a very strange or wild way
31
6.7
A person or thing that is clearly different from others in a group
18
7.2
A person who acts in a strange way
14
5.9
A person who does not fit in with a group
10
7.0
A person who behaves in an unusual way that others find odd
2
6.0
A person with unusual habits or behavior
2
6.8
A person who acts in a way people think is strange
1
9.9
A person who acts strange and makes others uncomfortable
1
9.9
A person who acts in a strange way that others find unpleasant
1
8.6
A person who acts a little strange or different
1
9.9
A person who seems strange to other people
1
9.4
A person who acts in an odd or unusual way
1
8.2
A person who behaves in a strange or unusual way
1
9.6
A person who acts in a strange or unusual way
1
9.1
A person who behaves very differently from what others expect
1
9.9
A person who behaves in a wild or strange way
A person who is very unusual and stands out from others
Antonyms
How Different
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person who is noticeably different or excluded' is directly compositional from 'odd' (different), 'man' (person) and 'out' (excluded/left out). This straightforward combination (cf. 'odd one out') follows common cross-linguistic patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Odd man out comes from a simple children's choosing game where people point to the one person who is odd and left out. So today it means someone who seems 'different' or does not fit in.