offscreen

[ awf-skreen, of- ]

adjective

1. occurring, existing, or done away from the motion-picture or television screen:

   an offscreen voice.

2. in real life rather than on the motion-picture or television screen:

   the newscaster's offscreen personality.

adverb

1. apart or away from motion-picture or television performances; in actual life:

   Offscreen he's a racing-car enthusiast.

Word History and Origins

Origin of offscreen¹

First recorded in 1930–35; off + screen

Example Sentences

Ideal for 4 to 8-year-olds, it offers access to tons of content including live-action shows, curriculum-based learning games, and books, all with the goal of encouraging offscreen active play, fueling curiosity, and boosting academic skills.

From Popular-Science

For as much as the Fast & Furious movies portray a family onscreen, the franchise has occasionally entered contentious territory offscreen.

From Vox

Such situations occur when carousels load and cache content for offscreen slides.

From Search Engine Land

The company even took the gambit offscreen, launching a new board game franchise, Disney Villainous, in 2018, that encourages characters to play as its most popular evil characters and triumph over the forces of wholesomeness.

From Vox

Meanwhile, the entire debacle has been complicated by the fact that as it has unfolded, The Bachelor has continued to air as it normally would, with few onscreen hints of the offscreen turmoil.

From Vox

Sadly, the internal strife onscreen was shadowed by turmoil offscreen.

From The Daily Beast

Offscreen, he is the Nascar set's totemic badass, the God-fearing patriot who walks the walk.

From The Daily Beast

He scowled at the offscreen miscreant who had mistakenly summoned him.

From Project Gutenberg

Al, the pilot, was actually interviewed by an offscreen voice!

From Project Gutenberg