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 of off-kilter

• bizarre
• strange
• weird
• funny
• odd
• erratic
• peculiar
• curious
• eccentric
• remarkable
• crazy
• unusual

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

With Brown, Amos makes twinkly, off-kilter experimental songs that sometimes sound as though they’re being piped out of a cursed music box. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Nick Woltemade followed, joining Juventus on loan on Tuesday, bringing a temporary end to a costly, stylistic mismatch which contributed to throwing Eddie Howe’s Newcastle off-kilter. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026

But a 17-point win masked how off-kilter and sloppy the offense looked against the overmatched Huskies. — John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026

Scott said of his guidance for production designer Chris Seavers, who was tasked with creating the creepy airport where off-kilter flight attendant Allison Janney lures the film’s heroes to potential doom. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for off-kilter

• filter
• kilter
• quilter