off-color

adjective

off-col·​or ˈȯf-ˈkə-lər 

variants or off-colored

ˈȯf-ˈkə-lərd 

1

a

: not having the right or standard color

b

: being out of sorts

2

a

: of doubtful propriety : dubious

b

: verging on the indecent

off-color remarks

Synonyms

• bawdy
• blue
• gamy
• gamey
• lewd
• off
• racy
• ribald
• risqué
• salty
• spicy
• suggestive

Examples of off-color in a Sentence

the movie was rated PG-13 for some swearing and off-color jokes

Recent Examples on the Web

And there’s a variety of off-color and bathroom humor. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2025

The stuff that comes out of Mike’s mouth is very off-color a lot of the time. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2025

Huffman liked to do impersonations and had a profane streak; he was once forced to apologize for making an off-color joke at an office party. —Alec MacGillis, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025

The race, which pitted a brazenly off-color indie-spirited musical with puppets against a commercial juggernaut from Oz, culminated in a collective gasp when the envelope was read. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1a