offbeat

[ adjective awf-beet, of-; noun awf-beet, of- ]

adjective

1. differing from the usual or expected; unconventional:

   an offbeat comedian.

noun

1. Music. an unaccented beat of a measure.

offbeat

/ ˈɒfˌbiːt /

noun

1. 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

adjective

1. 1. unusual, unconventional, or eccentric
   2. ( as noun )

      he liked the offbeat in fashion

Word History and Origins

Origin of offbeat¹

First recorded in 1925–30; off + beat

Example Sentences

Though offbeat, it doesn’t feel quite as different as it should from the many other high-concept, sci-fi and fantasy comedies we’ve seen in recent years, like Upload and Miracle Workers.

From Time

This highly offbeat style of material promotion also enables LinkedIn users to provide a deeper insight into the people behind the business.

From Search Engine Watch

It was an unusual deal for a pop star, but Post Malone, with his offbeat style and face covered in tattoos, is a bit unusual himself.

From Quartz

It’s not in a hotel ballroom but rather an offbeat event space such as a warehouse.

From Fortune

The neighborhood is lined with offbeat shops, hip bars, and late-night coffeehouses.

From No Straight News

Ed first appeared in 1987 on City By Night, a talk show on Newton Cable, a now-defunct offbeat indie cable network.

From The Daily Beast

The women Peterson photographed were offbeat, eccentric, irreverent, and not conventionally pretty.

From The Daily Beast

“Shake It Off” and its accompanying music video are all about being a goober and dancing like an offbeat weirdo.

From The Daily Beast

And selecting Samberg as host meant that, perhaps more than other SNL alumni, it was going to be more offbeat episode of SNL.

From The Daily Beast

While there, LeCun was allowed to dabble in some of his offbeat interests, including philosophy.

From The Daily Beast

The hour—I am sorry I cannot recall the hour of arrival—but it was, as we say, an offbeat hour.

From Project Gutenberg

Rick studied the scene, searching for anything offbeat, any anomaly.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bizarre
• eccentric
• idiosyncratic
• unconventional
• unorthodox
• unusual
• weird