out of kilter

Idioms  

1. Also, out of whack. Not properly adjusted, not working well, out of order. For example, This whole schedule is out of kilter with the rest of our projects, or The wheels on the trailer are out of whack. The first term, also spelled kelter, dates from the early 1600s and its origin is not known. The precise allusion of the variant, a colloquial term dating from the late 1800s, is also unclear. Possibly it relates to a whack, or blow, throwing something off, or some suggest, to wacky, that is, “crazy.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

out of kilter

What about the balance of the XI, knocked so badly out of kilter when Stokes missed the second Test at The Oval?

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Mr Rodríguez says that during daylight hours, when solar energy output is particularly strong, the supply-demand balance can be pushed out of kilter, having an impact on prices.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2024

A plant with an out of kilter circadian clock will only grow to half the size of a normal plant under laboratory conditions.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2023

Does that not point out that planning by the Pentagon could be out of kilter with reality for future conflicts?

From Washington Post ● Mar. 9, 2023

This is mostly because everything’s out of kilter here.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Related Words

• busted
• defective
• faulty
• ruined
• wrecked