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

Brodie, a 6-year-old mixed breed with an off-kilter snout, has amassed more than 1.5 million followers on his Instagram and TikTok pages showing glimpses of his day-to-day life. —Lizzie Hyman, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, a suit jacket comes with an off-kilter neckline inspired by the lines of founder Christian Dior’s Abandon dress. —Joelle Diderich, WWD, 2 Jan. 2025

Azithromycin has also been linked with arrhythmia (an off-kilter heartbeat) and other cardiac issues especially in older people and folks with existing heart conditions, Dr. Mercado says. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 23 Dec. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1