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
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
Whether leaning into Black dandyism or embracing off-kilter wigs, the rapper-musician has sustained his level of expression through music and clothing throughout his music career.
—
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
What struck me initially as an avant-garde take on lighting-as-sculpture is indicative, more so, of a movement towards authenticity—where craftsmanship and off-kilter detail are taking precedence over tight lines and modern silhouettes.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2025
David Kaplan approached Etude 15 with austerity, shaping its surging waves of sound with earnest precision, and embraced the shifting patterns of Etude 16’s off-kilter 7/8 meter with poise and control.
—Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2025
The data showed that the drying sped up in 2014 when the strongest El Niño — a repetitive weather pattern associated with warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — threw the global climate off-kilter.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-kilter
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Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
What struck me initially as an avant-garde take on lighting-as-sculpture is indicative, more so, of a movement towards authenticity—where craftsmanship and off-kilter detail are taking precedence over tight lines and modern silhouettes.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2025
David Kaplan approached Etude 15 with austerity, shaping its surging waves of sound with earnest precision, and embraced the shifting patterns of Etude 16’s off-kilter 7/8 meter with poise and control.
—Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2025
The data showed that the drying sped up in 2014 when the strongest El Niño — a repetitive weather pattern associated with warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — threw the global climate off-kilter.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-kilter
Cite this Entry
“Off-kilter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-kilter. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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