off-message

American

[awf-mes-ij, of‐] / ˈɔfˈmɛs ɪdʒ, ˈɒf‐ /

adjective

straying from or contradicting the central theme or official message of a political, business, or other organization.

The last speaker was way off-message with his bad jokes and irrelevant anecdotes.

off message British

adjective

(off-message when prenominal) not adhering to or reflecting the official line of a political party, government, or other organization

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of off-message

An Americanism dating back to 1990–95; off ( def. ) + message ( 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.

But users online reported Olive has in recent weeks gone slightly off-message while on the phone.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

That students aren’t allowed to ever be off-message and self-aggrandizing?

From Slate • May 2, 2024

Then he quickly went off-message, touting a cognitive test he took as president, his administration’s campaign against the Islamic State group and other familiar themes.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024

What, then, should we make of a remarkable dressing down he was subjected to when he went off-message during the security council meeting?

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2022

She is not a political obsessive — which can lead, occasionally, to off-message moments.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023