off-kilter

adjective

off-kil·​ter ˈȯf-ˈkil-tər 

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

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• quaint
• queer
• queerish
• quirky
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• wacky
• whacky
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

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

But director Annie Baker sets everything off-kilter as the story oscillates between Janet’s struggles with relationships and her wishy-washy attitude towards, well, everything. —Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 25 June 2024

And what if the aesthetic of this delightfully off-kilter, head-scratching experience were indebted to French new wave cinema, particularly Alain Resnais 1961 classic, Last Year at Marienbad? —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 June 2024

Adding intrigue to this subtly 'off-kilter' geometry is a crown at 1.30. —Alexandra Zagalsky, theweek, 7 May 2024

The Jane the Virgin star told PEOPLE the prospect of no longer having her girls at home has her feeling off-kilter. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 27 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1