kilter
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of kilter
First recorded in 1630–40; variant of dial. kelter < ?
Explanation
The noun kilter means "balance," or "a state of working well," but you'll only find it in the phrase "out of kilter," meaning "not working right." When things are off balance or out of whack, they're out of kilter, or off-kilter. If your bike keeps pulling to one side, or your toaster is only toasting one side of the bread you insert, they're both out of kilter. If you're studying hard and forgetting to eat well and exercise, you might also feel out of kilter. The word comes from the now-obsolete kelter, although the origin of this word is unknown.
Vocabulary lists containing kilter
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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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.
A truffle hunter who works for Boido and preferred to remain anonymous said the production of white truffle was also "off kilter" this year.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
For some, the Treasury Department’s response only added to the sense of a typically staid market gone disturbingly off kilter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
What about the balance of the XI, knocked so badly out of kilter when Stokes missed the second Test at The Oval?
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Loren Cain, who was born and raised in Orem and studied at Utah Valley University, said the world feels off kilter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2025
In the second quarter, he lined up and saw the Cooper secondary once again out of kilter.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
