off-key

adjective or adverb

ˈȯf-ˈkē 

1

: varying in pitch from the proper tone of a melody

2

: irregular, anomalous

Examples of off-key in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The privacy of these music studios offer a different experience than the traditional karaoke bar serving up pricey cocktails and a roomful of strangers listening to others belting out familiar songs off-key — which Koreatown also has. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

But that doesn’t keep the moments in the film’s last passage from feeling off-key. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

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, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2026

Forbidden Compass feels bafflingly out of touch and off-key, with the flavor of supermarket own-brand cornflakes. — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

off-key

adjective or adverb

ˈȯf-ˈkē

: above or below the proper tone of a melody

singing off-key