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off-the-wall

adjective

ˈȯf-ṯẖə-ˈwȯl How to pronounce off-the-wall (audio)
Definition of off-the-wallnext
as in bizarre
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion she does have some off-the-wall suggestions about home decorating

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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-the-wall Leach’s off-the-wall news conferences or postgame interviews, covering everything from Halloween candy to wedding planning, will live forever on YouTube. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 June 2026 Follow Joe for ongoing features about ecotourism as well as off-the-wall travel destinations around the globe. — Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 4 May 2026 What’s your favorite off-the-wall rendition of a birthday anthem? — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 24 Apr. 2026 This was not a year for major turmoil in March or crazy off-the-wall selections by the committee. — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for off-the-wall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-the-wall
  1. bizarre
  2. funny
  3. strange
  4. weird
  5. odd
  6. peculiar
  7. curious
  8. erratic
Adjective
  • Appropriated from a John Cale album, the title accurately describes scenes of bloodletting committed by bizarre, scenery-chewing yakuza members, and the energy hovers somewhere around a bloodier-than-baseline Takashi Miike movie from the mid-2000s.
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her family and church life remained opaque, but her bizarre comedic timing and magnetic onscreen presence turned her into everyone’s favorite reality-TV anti-hero.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of bizarre
Adjective
  • And that is a very funny, exploitable premise on its surface.
    — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • On Standby follows Sagit, a 33-year-old airport security screener whose brutally honest view of the world and chaotic personal life turn even the most ordinary interactions into painfully funny disasters.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • The reunion becomes even stranger when Constance prepares for a dark holiday celebration, with Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) from Cult helping decorate a black Christmas tree topped with a pentagram.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The public wiki case offers a particularly strange example of the problem.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • Beck was playing a shabby, malnourished musician living in a shack who acts as an emissary of a weird celebrity cult.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But, in a weird sort of way, that approach advances the point critics have about Williams.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of weird
Adjective
  • The franchise, one of the most successful ever, spans thirty-odd games—many of which are very good—and has spawned multiple live-action film adaptations and television shows, nearly all of which have been terrible.
    — Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • And the plot careens from one incident to the next, sometimes landing on a random sight gag or odd digression.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of odd
Adjective
  • The fact that here on Earth the same amount of time lapses for two people between a separation and reunion gives us a peculiar intuition about temporality—an intuition that does not work elsewhere.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The episode also illustrates the peculiar hazards of an underground band suddenly becoming music business bait.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of peculiar
Adjective
  • From the charming courtyards and upscale fashion boutiques tucked behind Worth Avenue to the rugged majesty of Jupiter’s inlets, the region is a playground for the curious traveler.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Be more curious and understand how all actions affect you 5, 10 years from now.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of curious
Adjective
  • Sagittarius A lot of romantic worries and anxieties are piling up, making your love life feel frenetic and erratic.
    — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The money ladder A look back at recent past administrations shows an erratic but increasing amount of financial obligations canceled.
    — Caren Morrison, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of erratic

Browse Nearby Words

off-the-shelf
off-the-wall
of late
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Off-the-wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-the-wall. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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