off-kilter

adjective

off-kil·​ter ˈȯf-ˈkil-tər How to pronounce off-kilter (audio)
1
: not in perfect balance : a bit askew
off-kilter camera angles
His hat was slightly off-kilter.
2
: eccentric, unconventional
off-kilter characters
an off-kilter approach

Examples of off-kilter in a Sentence

he's nice enough, but there's something a little off-kilter about him to me, the painting on the wall looks a little off-kilter
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.
But there’s still something uncomfortably off-kilter about their interpersonal dynamic. Noel Murray, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024 Shows like these in unconventional spaces with off-kilter spirits serve as a way to push conversations around contemporary art practice and experimentation forward. The Artnews Awards Jury, ARTnews.com, 4 Dec. 2024 For his portrayal of the Caped Crusader, Pattinson abandoned the usual Bruce Wayne playboy persona, opting for a more off-kilter, emo version of the character when out of his bat suit. Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 Dec. 2024 The narrator of this wonderfully off-kilter novel, an elderly man, recalls his doting grandmother and his boyhood infatuation with a girl who danced on the balcony opposite his family’s apartment, in Naples. The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for off-kilter 

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-kilter was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near off-kilter

Cite this Entry

“Off-kilter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-kilter. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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