out of sorts

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

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

The Buffalo Bills sit at 6-3 after looking out of sorts in a blowout loss to the lowly Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

But Piastri, who has looked out of sorts all weekend, was not quick and he ended up 0.574secs off the pace, and behind Mercedes' George Russell and the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

She woke up feeling much weaker and out of sorts than the first time she had died.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman