off-kilter

adjective

off-kil·​ter ˈȯf-ˈkil-tər 

1

: not in perfect balance : a bit askew

off-kilter camera angles

His hat was slightly off-kilter.

2

: eccentric, unconventional

off-kilter characters

an off-kilter approach

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• quaint
• queer
• queerish
• quirky
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• wacky
• whacky
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

Examples of off-kilter in a Sentence

he's nice enough, but there's something a little off-kilter about him

to me, the painting on the wall looks a little off-kilter

Recent Examples on the Web

Their uniforms were never off-kilter with seams out of place, instead they were portrayed as nearly perfect. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Dec. 2024

Treating his family trauma with any gravity — by, say, diverging into a 20-minute flashback in the first act — is the kiss of death to whatever off-kilter momentum the movie manages to build. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024

But there’s still something uncomfortably off-kilter about their interpersonal dynamic. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

Shows like these in unconventional spaces with off-kilter spirits serve as a way to push conversations around contemporary art practice and experimentation forward. —The Artnews Awards Jury, ARTnews.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1