Odds

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɑdz/

Definitions

1. The ratio representing the likelihood of one outcome versus another is commonly used in gambling and statistical analysis
2. The numerical expression indicating the probability of an event occurring compared to it not occurring is key in various decision-making processes
3. A comparison of the chances of different outcomes helps in evaluating risks and making informed choices in uncertain situations

Etymology: The noun "odds" meaning the likelihood of an outcome grows out of the older sense of "odd" as "uneven" or "unmatched." A contest between two unequal sides was an "odd" one, and the difference in strength or chance between them became the "odds." Over time the plural noun came to express the measure of advantage one side held over the other, which is the sense we use when we say the odds are against us. The word's history therefore runs from a sense of irregularity or mismatch toward a sense of calculated probability. Gambling and wagering gave the term much of its later shape, since bets were framed by how much one party was favored over another. The plural ending is part of how the noun works in English today, where we speak of "the odds" as a single idea even though the form is plural.

Synonyms: chances, probabilities, likelihoods, prospects, risk

Antonyms: certainty, guarantee, inevitability, surety, safety