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Synonyms

off-color

American  
[awf-kuhl-er, of-] / ˈɔfˈkʌl ər, ˈɒf- /
especially British, off-colour also off-colored

adjective

  1. not having the usual or standard color.

    an off-color gem.

  2. of doubtful propriety or taste; risqué.

    an off-color joke.
    Synonyms:
    blue, earthy, salty, spicy, racy

  3. not in one's usual health.

    to feel off-color.

Etymology

Origin of off-color

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

In the one-way broadcast channel, guests could only emoji-react, so the thread wasn’t cluttered with giant stickers or, say, off-color replies from an unfiltered uncle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

But let’s be clear: Plenty of people wrote mean, off-color things that they wouldn’t say out loud.

From Slate • Sep. 11, 2025

In fact, the only stumble Glaser took would be her off-color handful of jokes about the allegations surrounding Diddy.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025

Yashou was no fan of Assad: He had been picked up by one of the country’s notoriously strict intelligence services for an off-color remark about the president in a phone call with a friend.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2024

An off-color anecdote, a laugh in the wrong place.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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.