off-key
adjective
deviating from the correct tone or pitch; out of tune.
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off-key
American
[awf-kee, of-]
/ ˈɔfˈki, ˈɒf- /
adjective
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deviating from the correct tone or pitch; out of tune.
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Informal. somewhat irregular, abnormal, or incongruous.
off key
British
adjective
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music
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not in the correct key
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out of tune
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-
out of keeping; discordant
Etymology
Origin of off-key
First recorded in 1925–30
Explanation
Something that's off-key is out of tune or unmusical. If your jazz band is off-key from the first note of their first song, it'll make the audience cringe. You might not care if your friends are off-key when they sing "Happy Birthday" and present you with a chocolate cake, but you may want to get your money back if you buy expensive tickets to hear an orchestra play off-key renditions of Bach and Beethoven. This musical meaning inspired the figurative off-key, meaning "not fitting" or "clashing": "The mayor's big-city values are off-key in our little village."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On the love song “Easy,” she sounds creaky and weathered, flittering off-key.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He and his comrades were often forced to sing Soviet songs and were punished if they didn't sing "loud enough or sang off-key".
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
Amid all of this, responses from the administration were sometimes glaringly off-key.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2025
These songs look and feel like old-Hollywood-style musical numbers, but charm because of their imperfections; characters sing off-key, they lose their breath and their voices crack.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2024
The Calypso Crooners were hosting a karaoke booth, and I couldn’t listen to one more off-key rendition of “Summer Nights,” so I ended up on the far side of the carnival, where it was quieter.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Police in Kenya have sealed off key roads leading into central Nairobi ahead of planned nationwide protests marking two years since the deadly Gen-Z-led anti-government demonstrations.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The road wasn’t designed as a private community, and critics argue the gates would choke off key traffic arteries alongside a busy thoroughfare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
In addition, the CEO cut off key finance officials from banking authorisation, granting power of attorney to individuals with no financial experience.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
NFL Week 16 picks: Broncos-Chargers matchup Thursday kicks off key divisional rivalries that could determine playoff opponents ... and who might miss out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024
From there I could keep an eye on all the grownups who were fidgeting or falling asleep or adjusting their fancy hats or singing off key.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
