off-kilter
Americanadjective
-
not exactly straight or balanced; askew; uneven.
off-kilter paintings on every wall.
-
not completely well; somewhat ill.
still off-kilter two weeks after the flu.
-
unusual or eccentric; unconventional.
short stories with off-kilter endings.
Etymology
Origin of off-kilter
First recorded in 1925–30; off ( def. ) + kilter ( def. )
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.
Unaccounted weight on one side can also set the capsule off-kilter.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
The clean installation helps the viewer to “get” Samaras—his off-kilter intensity and odd self-effacement, in spite of all the focus on his own likeness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
It included absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real, junky AI-written books, “workslop” reports that waste coworkers’ time — and lots of talking cats.
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026
With routines off-kilter and excitement running high squabbles can break out between siblings as well as cousins or friends they may not see regularly.
From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025
Something knocked the underside of the raft, throwing it off-kilter, and Clare dropped to all fours, crying out for Gingersnipes as she tumbled around but managed to stay aboard.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
