definitions

off-the-wall

[ awf-th uh-wawl, of- ]
/ ˈɔf ðəˈwɔl, ˈɒf- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR off-the-wall ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Informal.

markedly unconventional; bizarre; oddball: an unpredictable, off-the-wall personality.

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RELATED WORDS

insane, crazy, stupid, incoherent, unreasonable, preposterous, unsound, wrong, ridiculous, absurd, unwise, foolish, aberrant, cordial, amiable, festive, buoyant, jolly, pleasant, good-natured

Nearby words

off-the-job, off-the-peg, off-the-rack, off-the-record, off-the-shelf, off-the-wall, off-topic, off-trail, off-white, off-year, off-year election

Origin of off-the-wall

First recorded in 1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for off-the-wall

  • Zentai originated in the 1980s in Japan, land of synthetic fibers and off-the-wall trends, and has recently begun migrating west.

    Men Who Love Lycra|Will Doig|March 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for off-the-wall

off-the-wall

adjective

(off the wall when postpositive) slang new or unexpected in an unconventional or eccentric wayan off-the-wall approach to humour

Word Origin for off-the-wall

C20: possibly from the use of the phrase in handball and squash to describe a shot that is unexpected
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