off-center
Americanadjective
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not centered; diverging from the exact center.
-
unconventional; eccentric.
off-center characters who disrupt other people's lives.
Etymology
Origin of off-center
First recorded in 1925–30
Explanation
Off-center things aren't in the exact middle. The part in your hair may be off-center, and so may be your political leanings. The meaning of off-center is fairly obvious: not right in the center, but off to one side. It's frustrating to watch a movie that's projected off-center, and if you're very particular, it might drive you crazy to see a knocker that's off-center on your friend's front door. This adjective also means "a little weird" or "eccentric." An off-center sense of humor is wacky and strange, and if you're feeling off-center, you might be coming down with the flu.
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.
The latter is notable for its off-center, diagonal composition, which creates the illusion that the space of the painting and that of the church are one.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The complex’s opaque tower is clad in cream-colored concrete panels, stepping rhythmically with protruding windows that drift off-center.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
Cave’s grand piano is on the other side, off-center presumably to give him the room he requires.
From Salon • May 13, 2025
Physicists can adjust the cylinder’s resonant frequency, trying to match and amplify the tiny radio signal from any axions, by repositioning one or two off-center tuning rods.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024
The ball sailed through the air and hit the backboard off-center.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
