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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of off-kilter
His younger brother, Bob, joined as lead guitarist back in 1974, bringing his own off-kilter charm to the microphone.
—
EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The YouTuber Andrew Callaghan has been documenting off-kilter American politics since before the 2020 election, but the recent interview on his Channel 5 web show with an indignant Hunter Biden caught wide attention.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2025
And Dafoe, an actor who’s always excelled at playing off-kilter figures, keeps us guessing about the soft-spoken but steely Anniston, who seems intent on paying for not only his sins but those of oppressors in general.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Introduced by a gushing-if-somewhat-off-kilter Megan Statler, the alt-rock singer-songwriter began his performance singing inside a photo booth, before coming out to what looked a dingy New York rock club backing.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for off-kilter
EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The YouTuber Andrew Callaghan has been documenting off-kilter American politics since before the 2020 election, but the recent interview on his Channel 5 web show with an indignant Hunter Biden caught wide attention.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2025
And Dafoe, an actor who’s always excelled at playing off-kilter figures, keeps us guessing about the soft-spoken but steely Anniston, who seems intent on paying for not only his sins but those of oppressors in general.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Introduced by a gushing-if-somewhat-off-kilter Megan Statler, the alt-rock singer-songwriter began his performance singing inside a photo booth, before coming out to what looked a dingy New York rock club backing.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for off-kilter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-kilter
Adjective
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But everything changes when a string of gruesome killings—which grow increasingly bizarre, with victims covered in rashes and found in deranged, violent states—involves his young daughter Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Paxton’s interest in Paul’s plight was bizarre, obsessive and so far beyond normal operations at the attorney general’s office that the agency’s top officials struggled to convey their concerns during the hourslong meeting with two FBI agents.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Conventional cooling systems often rely on cold plates that offer indirect contact with battery cells, which can result in uneven temperature distribution.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Polishing and setting diamonds on uneven surfaces is a rare skill and Chopard does it all in-house.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The combination of strange comments, a clear lack of education and experience, and a disturbing personal history with mental health struggles and domestic problems doomed his campaign.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Coon admitted that their daughter has also taken up a strange favorite film.—
Avalon Hester,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With its wide and deep imaging of the sky, Rubin is expected to discover thousands of new trans-Neptunian objects in the Kuiper Belt, which may confirm the tilted plane or mark it as a statistical fluke.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The tilted pinnacle resembles a jaunty ship cutting through clear air.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The second reason is that these aura battler designs were very complex and full of curves as well as weird angles.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Things get weird, however, when the lines between science fiction and fantasy start to blur.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their boss, the only one not carrying a blaster, pointed a long crooked finger at Rusty and all the Blasters were raised at Rusty in unison.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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For a Chicago Cubs lineup that has struggled lately to consistently score runs, let alone put up a crooked number, Friday’s opener against the Colorado Rockies provided the ideal bounce-back environment coming off the sweep in San Francisco.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Zambians are warm, funny, proud.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Darkly funny and deeply melancholic, the film turns the family estate into a pressure cooker of grief, grudges and reluctant affection.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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After going down with an oblique injury earlier this month, top rookie Roman Anthony was given a four-to-six-week timeline for a potential return to the lineup.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Hill missed nearly a month of training camp and preseason with an oblique injury.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off-kilter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-kilter. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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