out of place

Idioms  

1. Not in the proper situation, not belonging; inappropriate for the circumstances or location. For example, A high school graduate, she felt out of place among all these academics with advanced degrees, or This velvet sofa is out of place on the porch. This idiom uses place in the sense of “a fitting position.” [First half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

At the Mobile Carnival Museum, Mardi Gras costumes behind a glass case wouldn’t have been out of place on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans.

From The Wall Street Journal

The nut kept flying out of place, but when I tried to hold it fast, I brought the stone down on my finger.

From Literature

There’s another character in one of the scenes that those guys did that feels out of place because all he’s got is prostate cancer.

From Los Angeles Times

Her hair was perfectly arranged, too, not a single strand daring to make its way out of place.

From Literature

“They tend to feel really far behind or out of place,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• awkward
• erroneous
• false
• ill-advised
• imprudent
• inaccurate
• inadmissible
• inappropriate
• incorrect
• irregular
• unwarranted
• wrong