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Synonyms

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.”

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.

Lamar Jackson was out of kilter as the Ravens missed chances - although they were left fuming by a late touchdown being chalked off.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025

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

But it also knocked supply and demand out of kilter as never before.

From Reuters • Dec. 8, 2022

In the second quarter, he lined up and saw the Cooper secondary once again out of kilter.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.