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at odds

at odds

60 4.8
Not agreeing with someone or something
  • idiom
translation icon : en desacuerdo
  • But the rules of this challenge are at odds with what the science around habits actually says.
  • seem at odds
  • appear at odds
  • find itself at odds

We cannot succeed if we are at odds with each other.

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Examples

  • The beleaguered expression on his face is at odds with the light, friendly tone of his voice.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Immediately committed to saving the whale, Farley suddenly found himself at odds with his neighbors.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • So, so instead of society being at odds with the individual, they line up.

  • These things sort of live at odds with each other.

  • I hate it that we're at odds.

  • We cannot succeed if we are at odds with each other.

  • I believe it's because... your life is fundamentally at odds with the natural world.

  • Such passion, however, is at odds with the American sense of obligation and commitment.

    Academic text (2013)
  • You know, science and spirituality or science in the inner life have been at odds with one another over many years.

  • We cannot succeed if we are at odds with each other.

Synonyms

contradictory
vsat odds
72 6.1

Showing ideas or statements that do not agree and cannot both be true

relates to people or parties disagreeing rather than logical incompatibility
at war with
vsat odds
63 3.9

In serious conflict with someone or something

is used for ordinary disagreements and conflicts, not literal warfare
at each other's throats
vsat odds
  • Informal
23 7.0

People argue or fight angrily with each other

can mean disagreement without the sense of heated, violent fighting
conflicting
vsat odds
7 4.2

Having ideas, facts, or feelings that do not agree with each other

focuses on people or parties being in disagreement rather than ideas
at loggerheads
vsat odds
4 7.3

Not agreeing with someone and often angry about it

denotes disagreement generally without stressing stubborn intensity
at variance
vsat odds
  • Formal
2 7.7

Not in agreement with other people, facts, or ideas

is the everyday phrase for simple disagreement or conflict
at outs
vsat odds
  • Archaic
9.6

Not friendly with someone because of an argument

is the more general idiom used for disagreement or conflict
at daggers drawn
vsat odds
7.9

In open, serious conflict with someone

covers disagreement or conflict without implying violent or hostile actions

People in different groups who disagree with each other during a debate or conflict

applies to simple disagreement between people or things rather than group sides

Antonyms

4.4

To be in agreement with someone or something

71 2.1

Being of the same opinion as other people

How Cooperative

in agreement
71 2.1
cooperative
119 3.5
disagreement
268 1.6
at odds
60 4.8
to conflict
135 4.1
hostile
194 4.6

Surface Forms

at odds positive

Morphology

at + odds

The meaning 'in disagreement' is not a fully literal composition of 'at' + 'odds' because 'odds' more commonly refers to probability or likelihood; however there is a loose semantic link since 'odds' can imply opposition or being on different sides, so learners who know both words might guess a sense of conflict. The fixed prepositional collocation 'at odds (with)' and cross-linguistic variation make the connection only partially predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

At odds may come from old betting. When people bet, the odds show which side is more likely to win, so two sides with different odds are against each other. That's why at odds means 'in disagreement' or 'in conflict'.