offbeat
[adjective awf-beet, of-; noun awf-beet, of-]
- differing from the usual or expected; unconventional: an offbeat comedian.
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- Music. an unaccented beat of a measure.
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Origin of offbeat
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for offbeat
Contemporary Examples
The women Peterson photographed were offbeat, eccentric, irreverent, and not conventionally pretty.
Gosta Peterson's Bohemian Rhapsody: Unpacking a Photographer's '60s SecretsLizzie Crocker
September 10, 2014
“Shake It Off” and its accompanying music video are all about being a goober and dancing like an offbeat weirdo.
Butts, ‘Bang Bang’ & Beyoncé: The Craziest MTV Video Music Awards MomentsKevin Fallon
August 25, 2014
While there, LeCun was allowed to dabble in some of his offbeat interests, including philosophy.
But Portlandia, which is directed and co-written by Jonathan Krisel, stops short of stunt casting by sticking to the offbeat.
A staff writer at The New Yorker, Orlean is drawn to offbeat subjects, and she chooses them instinctively.
Historical Examples
The hour—I am sorry I cannot recall the hour of arrival—but it was, as we say, an offbeat hour.
Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15)The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
offbeat
- music any of the normally unaccented beats in a bar, such as the second and fourth beats in a bar of four-four time. They are stressed in most rock and some jazz and dance music, such as the bossa nova
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- unusual, unconventional, or eccentric
- (as noun)he liked the offbeat in fashion
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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