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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

out of sorts

But the Sparks’ offense also seemed a bit out of sorts, with nine turnovers in the opening half that the Aces turned into 10 points.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 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

Looked out of sorts in the first innings.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 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

After my slap-in-the-face meeting with Arletta, I was out of sorts and doubting most of my hardheld truths.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry