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
One person hemmed in by perfectionist anxiety was invited to sing with an off-key Masli.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
Playing on home clay in his first tournament since a three-month doping ban, Sinner overcame an off-key start before overcoming the 11th seed 1-6 6-0 6-3.
From BBC ● May 16, 2025
Poppy joined in off-key as he stepped into the bathroom and Rafik pretended to be playing a trombone.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
Western sanctions cut off key spare parts, forcing the company to replace about 40 systems and operate an "import-substituted" version in 2023.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
A vocal contingency of fans who pore over recordings of the band’s concerts has long singled out the times she missed notes and sang off key.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 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
She also played a double-crossing hotel detective inspector as well as a member of a wedding party singing purposefully off key lyrics, inspired by “Espresso,” to expose bad behavior at the bachelorette party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2024
He let it go at that, and went out the door ahead of me, whistling off key.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
