Synonyms

out of sorts

Idioms

Irritable, grouchy, as in Don't ask him today—he's out of sorts. This expression also implies that one's poor spirits result from feeling slightly ill. [Early 1600s] The synonym out of humor, on the other hand, used more in Britain than America, simply means “ill-tempered” or “irritable.” [Mid-1600s]

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.

Kane, by his own standards, had a disappointing Euro 2024, looking so out of sorts there was a clamour for him to be replaced by Aston Villa's Watkins.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

So was I a little out of sorts?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

But Shiffrin has been out of sorts and now heads into the slalom at real risk of leaving northern Italy with a repeat of her Beijing Olympics disaster four years ago.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

USC opened the game one for seven from the field, with its offense looking out of sorts, and scored a meager 10 points in the first 10 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025

I was feeling out of sorts because I was so nervous.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

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