Idioms for Being Different, Distinct or at Odds

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Quick picker
Idioms for two things that are completely different
Idioms for a person who is different from others
Idioms for being different because you are better
Idioms for a different situation or matter
Idioms for being at odds: different opinions
Idioms for not fitting in
How to choose and use them
Practice
Quick answers

The best-known idioms for being different are like chalk and cheese and as different as night and day (two things with nothing in common), march to the beat of a different drum (a person who does things their own way), a whole different ball game and a different kettle of fish (a separate matter), a far cry from (very unlike something expected), and at odds (in disagreement). Which one fits depends on what is different: two people, a person compared with everyone else, two situations, or two opinions. The sections below follow those four uses.

These are idioms: fixed phrases whose meaning you cannot work out word by word. Some, like “as different as night and day”, are also similes. For the difference between the terms, see the figurative language guide.

Quick picker

You want to say…	Use
These two people are nothing alike	like chalk and cheese (British), as different as night and day, polar opposites
These two can’t get along	like oil and water
She does things her own way	march to the beat of a different drum, a free spirit, go against the grain
He’s unlike the rest of his family	cut from a different cloth, the black sheep
She’s better than everyone else	in a league of her own, a cut above, head and shoulders above
That’s a separate issue	a whole different ball game, a different kettle of fish, another story, a horse of a different color (US)
Reality is very unlike what I expected	a far cry from, worlds apart
They disagree	at odds, not see eye to eye, on different pages, poles apart
Someone doesn’t fit in	a fish out of water, a square peg in a round hole, stick out like a sore thumb
This one doesn’t belong in the group	the odd one out

Idioms for two things that are completely different

Idiom	Meaning	Example
like chalk and cheese	completely different, usually of two people (British)	The twins are like chalk and cheese: one’s loud, the other barely speaks.
as different as night and day / like night and day	extremely different	The new manager and the old one are as different as night and day.
polar opposites	as different as it is possible to be	Politically, my parents are polar opposites.
poles apart	very far apart in views or character	The two parties are poles apart on taxes.
worlds apart / a world apart	very different in lifestyle, culture or experience	Their childhoods were worlds apart: a farm in Kansas and a flat in Hong Kong.
like oil and water	unable to mix or get along	Put those two on the same team and they’re like oil and water.
apples and oranges	too different to compare fairly	Comparing a phone camera with a DSLR is apples and oranges.
there’s no comparison	one is clearly better than the other	Homemade bread versus supermarket bread? There’s no comparison.

Chalk and cheese is old: it appears in English writing from the 1300s. The joke is that both can be white and crumbly, but they are nothing alike once you taste them, which is why the idiom suits things that look similar on the surface. In American English, apples and oranges is the usual equivalent when the point is that a comparison is unfair.

The original version of this page listed “day and night” and “black and white” here. The fixed form is “like night and day” or “as different as night and day”. “Black and white” is a different idiom: it means clear-cut or simple (“the rules aren’t black and white”), not that two things differ.

Idioms for a person who is different from others

These describe one person against a group. Some are admiring, some neutral, one or two critical, so the tone matters.

Idiom	Meaning and tone	Example
march to the beat of a different drum (also: march to a different drummer)	live by your own rules; usually admiring	Lena marches to the beat of a different drum. She quit law to build boats.
cut from a different cloth	having a different character from others, often from family or peers	He’s cut from a different cloth than his brothers; he’d rather read than fight.
a breed apart	a type of person unlike others, often tougher or more dedicated	Free divers are a breed apart.
go against the grain	do the opposite of what is usual or expected	Her designs go against the grain of current fashion.
think outside the box	think in an original way (work jargon; use sparingly)	We need someone who can think outside the box on this budget.
a free spirit	someone who lives freely, unbound by convention	My aunt was a free spirit who never lived anywhere longer than a year.
the black sheep (of the family)	the member who is different and seen as a disappointment	I was the black sheep for choosing art school over medicine.
a maverick	an independent thinker who ignores the rules	The senator has a reputation as a maverick.
one of a kind	unique; there is no one else like them	Grandpa was one of a kind. Nobody tells a story like he did.
stand out from the crowd	be noticeably different, usually in a good way	A portfolio with real projects helps you stand out from the crowd.

“March to the beat of a different drum” goes back to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden (1854): if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps he hears a different drummer. The idiom keeps Thoreau’s sympathy for the person out of step. “Black sheep” works because a black lamb was once less valuable, its wool unable to be dyed, so the phrase leans negative; do not use it as praise.

Idioms for being different because you are better

Idiom	Meaning	Example
in a league of your own	far better than anyone else	As a pianist, she’s in a league of her own.
a cut above	better than average or than the others	The hotel’s service is a cut above the rest of the town.
head and shoulders above	much better than others	Her essay was head and shoulders above the rest.
not in the same league / not in the same ballpark	not nearly as good (or not comparable in size)	Our little café isn’t in the same league as the chains.
on another level	much better (casual, popular in speech)	That goal was on another level.

“Not the same ballpark”, which the old page used, is not the idiom; it is “not in the same ballpark”. And “a class act”, also listed there, means someone elegant and decent. It praises a person but says nothing about them being different.

Idioms for a different situation or matter

Use these when someone tries to treat two problems as if they were the same.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
a whole different ball game / a whole new ball game	a completely different situation, usually harder	Teaching teenagers is a whole different ball game from teaching adults.
a different kettle of fish (British)	a separate matter that needs separate treatment	Fixing a tap is easy. Rewiring the house is a different kettle of fish.
a horse of a different color (American)	a different matter altogether	A delay is one thing; cancelling the order is a horse of a different color.
another story / a different story	a different situation, often with a different outcome	He’s polite to customers. With the staff, it’s another story.
a different animal	a thing of a different nature	Running a business is a different animal from working in one.
a far cry from	very different from (often from something expected or remembered)	The tiny flat was a far cry from the photos in the ad.
that’s beside the point	that is a different issue from the one we’re discussing	Whether he’s nice is beside the point; he missed the deadline.

Note the prepositions: “a different ball game from” or “than” (than is common in American English), “a far cry from“. “Of a different order” is formal and suits writing about scale: “The 2011 floods were of a different order.”

Idioms for being at odds: different opinions

Idiom	Meaning	Example
at odds (with)	in disagreement or conflict	The two departments are often at odds over budgets.
not see eye to eye	disagree	We don’t see eye to eye on politics, but we’re still friends.
on different pages	not sharing the same understanding or plan	We were on different pages about the launch date.
sing from different hymn sheets	give different messages when you should agree (British; usually said of teams)	The minister and her deputy are singing from different hymn sheets.
agree to differ / agree to disagree	accept that you will not agree and stop arguing	We’ll have to agree to differ about the film.
a bone of contention	the subject people disagree about	Parking has long been a bone of contention on our street.
at loggerheads	in strong, stubborn disagreement	The union and management are at loggerheads over pay.

“At odds” can also describe facts that do not match: “His story is at odds with the evidence.” That is a useful sense for essays.

Idioms for not fitting in

Idiom	Meaning	Example
a fish out of water	someone uncomfortable in an unfamiliar place	At the gala, in borrowed shoes, I felt like a fish out of water.
a square peg in a round hole	someone unsuited to their role or setting	He was a square peg in a round hole in sales; he’s thriving in research.
stick out like a sore thumb	be very obvious because you are different	In a suit at the beach party, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
the odd one out	the one that does not match the group	Which word is the odd one out: apple, pear, carrot, plum?
the odd man out	a person left out or different from the group (older form)	As the only non-smoker, she felt like the odd man out.

“A stranger in paradise”, which appeared on the old page, is a song title, not an idiom for being different.

How to choose and use them

Check the tone. “One of a kind” and “march to the beat of a different drum” are warm. “Black sheep”, “odd one out” and “stick out like a sore thumb” can sting if said about someone present.
Check your reader’s English. “Chalk and cheese”, “kettle of fish” and “hymn sheets” are British; “horse of a different color” and “apples and oranges” are American. Both sides understand the others, but your own variety sounds more natural.
In essays, “a far cry from”, “at odds with” and “poles apart” sit comfortably in formal writing. “On another level” and “a whole different ball game” read as spoken.
Don’t stack them. “They’re like chalk and cheese, worlds apart, polar opposites” says the same thing three times.

If you want praise words rather than idioms for someone unusual, see idioms for unique and metaphors for unique; for images of difference rather than fixed phrases, metaphors for different.

Practice

Choose the idiom that fits.

My sister loves parties and I love quiet nights in. We’re ______. (like chalk and cheese / a cut above)
Writing a short story is easy enough. Writing a novel is ______. (a whole different ball game / at odds)
The hotel was ______ the luxury resort in the brochure. (a far cry from / in a league of its own)
He never follows trends; he’s always ______. (marched to the beat of a different drum / been a horse of a different color)
The two founders are ______ over the company’s future. (at loggerheads / one of a kind)
As the only person in jeans at the wedding, I ______. (stuck out like a sore thumb / saw eye to eye)
We can’t compare the two salaries; one includes housing. It’s ______. (apples and oranges / black and white)
Among all the bakers, her cakes are ______. (in a league of their own / worlds apart)

Answers

like chalk and cheese
a whole different ball game
a far cry from
marched to the beat of a different drum
at loggerheads
stuck out like a sore thumb
apples and oranges
in a league of their own

Quick answers

What is an idiom for being different?

For a person: “march to the beat of a different drum” or “cut from a different cloth”. For two things: “like chalk and cheese” or “as different as night and day”.