1
as in bizarre
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion
he's nice enough, but there's something a little off-kilter about him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneven
inclined or twisted to one side
to me, the painting on the wall looks a little off-kilter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of off-kilter
Jed Gould was an influential Los Angeles disc jockey, known as Jed the Fish, who used his off-kilter sensibility and deep musical knowledge to shine a light on artists like the Cure at the groundbreaking New Wave and alternative rock station KROQ-FM in the 1980s and ’90s.
—
Zachary Small, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Djokovic played his third-round match, but looked understandably off-kilter and lost to Tabilo.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
On the other side of the country, Manhattan’s Soho Press offers an off-kilter mystery that is un-baaaa-lievable but so much fun.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025
In any case, that scenario finds musical expression in an unyielding melody, hardly resting over off-kilter meters.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-kilter
Zachary Small, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Djokovic played his third-round match, but looked understandably off-kilter and lost to Tabilo.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
On the other side of the country, Manhattan’s Soho Press offers an off-kilter mystery that is un-baaaa-lievable but so much fun.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025
In any case, that scenario finds musical expression in an unyielding melody, hardly resting over off-kilter meters.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-kilter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-kilter
Adjective
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Sinner won a bizarre semifinal in his first tournament back from a three-month doping ban, while Alcaraz triumphed in a sloppy duel.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Known for its deluge of gruesome deaths that just get more bizarre with each iteration, Final Destination is now returning for a sixth movie.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Bread crumbs • Props to the hair, makeup, and costuming departments for differentiating Kiki’s Simone from pre-Michaela Simone, who showed up to the island with a scraggly ponytail, a gray button-down, uneven skin, and scrawled tattoos.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Read Next Boise & Garden City Boise River Greenbelt biker dies from head injuries after crashing on uneven pathway September 6, 2024 4:00 AM This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 4:00 AM.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Because of this strange clustering, the Atlantic Shark Institute has posted signs around Narragansett alerting beachgoers to be on the lookout.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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The long strange trip is proving to be even longer than anyone thought.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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His monsters are inventive and weird — and almost endlessly memeable.—
Sam Thielman,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Just a weird observation about the oscillator that is worth pointing out.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Among them is Tonic, which stars Blair (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) as Sebastian Poe, a struggling jazz pianist who is given 24 hours to kill a dangerous drug dealer (Westwick) by a crooked cop (Jaso Coviello), and spirals into a moral and emotional tailspin.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
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Cigarette smoke, dames to kill for, crooked cops — latex super suit?—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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That’s not to say the film isn’t funny or sweet, but that there is something much more profound and uncomfortable at its heart, and one that poses a tricky challenge for first-time filmmakers Johansson and Kamen.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
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His translation recognizes, here and throughout, that the original is funny and compelling enough not to need elaborate explanation, even 60 years after its debut.—
Lily Meyer,
The Dial,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The 28-year-old right-hander is returning from an oblique strain that removed him from the starting competition in spring training.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
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Manaea was initially shut down in February with the right oblique strain, then suffered a setback in early April when inflammation in the muscle required a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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There’s an odd smoothness to the look and feel of the cinematography by Christian Sebaldt, but the uncanny valley phenomenon is welcome when watching bodily destruction unfold.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
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It was also updated to clarify the role of Victor Ortega-Jiménez in observing the flamingos' odd feeding behavior.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off-kilter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-kilter. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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