off-key

adjective

Definition of off-keynext
as in tuneless

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of off-key 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 By 1988, when Phantom debuted on Broadway, the Reagan-era consumer culture and flashy opulence were on their way out, so the ornate, maximalist sets and the lush orchestrations felt off-key to reviewers. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 20 Aug. 2026 Nilsson’s watercolors complemented the work of the Hairy Who while also being slightly off-key; imagine the same hectic ragtime played on a calliope instead of a piano. — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026 That game became a cult hit for its hilarious simulations of everyday life, complete with Miis singing off-key, forming odd relationships and generating endless memes. — Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 24 May 2026 His swan song was often off-key. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-key
  1. tuneless
  2. atonal
  3. unpleasant
  4. disagreeable
Adjective
  • Her aesthetics and tuneless vocals left audiences in awe and laughter.
    — Raquel Willis, Time, 19 June 2025
  • For the rest of us, a real musical comedy is a cause for celebration; most are either too tuneless to be musicals or too dull to be comedies.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of tuneless
Adjective
  • Animal bleating, foley work, and atonal orchestra sections grind against Walker’s warble.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Today composers often combine tonal and atonal elements, using atonality to create feelings of uncertainty, psychological tension, or dramatic intensity.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of atonal
Adjective
  • George is being extremely unpleasant toward everyone and seems to be moving toward a breakdown.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Consumers across the country have described to CBS California Investigates, and in hundreds of online reviews, their unpleasant experiences at the stores, alleging they were pressured to make purchases worth thousands of dollars.
    — Amy Corral, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Mistaking being disagreeable with the act of disagreeing is common - especially in unsafe psychological workplaces.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Definition of disagreeable

Browse Nearby Words

offish
off-key
off-kilter
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Cite this Entry

“Off-key.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-key. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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