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akilter

adjective
akil·​ter | \ ə-ˈkil-tər How to pronounce akilter (audio) \

Definition of akilter

: out of balance or alignment : off-kilter His lackluster brown eyes were sunk in his skull and his right eye was slanted enough to look akilter and borrowed and slapdash.— Ron Hansen, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 1983

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First Known Use of akilter

1906, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for akilter

a- entry 1 (perhaps taken as reduction of off entry 2) + kilter

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The first known use of akilter was in 1906

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