off-key

adjective or adverb

1
: varying in pitch from the proper tone of a melody
2

Examples of off-key in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Yet the songs showcased in those sublime dance numbers are sung live on set by actors whose delivery is slightly off-key and out of breath. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025 Many viewers were taken aback by the Grammy nominee’s off-key performance at Globe Life Field on July 15, 2024. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2025 Andress, one of the most acclaimed young singer-songwriters in country music this past decade, had made headlines last summer for doing a notoriously off-key version of the anthem prior to the MLB Home Run Derby. Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2025 Gradually, the music mutates into something more alien: off-key chiming of a clock, percussive piano clanking and plucking, atonal saxophone solos that sound as if an instrument is being dropped. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025 In the character of Lee’s mother, Ruth (Alicia Witt), who raised her daughter alone and whose religiousness contains an off-key note, Perkins sees something personal about the domestic mythology his own mother wove. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025 After Sophie character hit an off-key version of Elphaba's iconic riff, Matt breathed a sigh of relief, but his joy was short-lived when the women broke out into a second song. Esther Kang, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025 Recurring bits like Opera Man, where Sandler, draped in a cape, regaled Weekend Update with off-key, operatic renditions of the news of the day, weren't exactly tight political satire. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025 On a bit of an off-key note, IM’s under-13 won a match 12-0, with Diego Messi scoring 11 goals -- three in the final minutes. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-key was in 1901

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Cite this Entry

“Off-key.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-key. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

off-key

adjective or adverb
ˈȯf-ˈkē
: above or below the proper tone of a melody
singing off-key

More from Merriam-Webster on off-key

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