off-key

adjective or adverb

1
: varying in pitch from the proper tone of a melody
2

Examples of off-key in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the character of Lee’s mother, Ruth (Alicia Witt), who raised her daughter alone and whose religiousness contains an off-key note, Perkins sees something personal about the domestic mythology his own mother wove. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025 After Sophie character hit an off-key version of Elphaba's iconic riff, Matt breathed a sigh of relief, but his joy was short-lived when the women broke out into a second song. Esther Kang, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025 Recurring bits like Opera Man, where Sandler, draped in a cape, regaled Weekend Update with off-key, operatic renditions of the news of the day, weren't exactly tight political satire. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025 On a bit of an off-key note, IM’s under-13 won a match 12-0, with Diego Messi scoring 11 goals -- three in the final minutes. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025 Thanks to these teachers, our boys are likely to end up like singer-songwriter mom and not their dad, whose only musical skill is singing R.E.M. songs off-key in the shower. Adam Tamburin, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025 But to sit there, knowing what the opposite side of the country is going through, did feel undeniably weird and off-key to be celebrating anything, let alone the achievements in an industry often so cut off from the rest of the world. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025 Cadillac was a welcome surprise in the school carpool line, her slightly off-key singing voice kept me entertained in the church pews on Sunday morning, and her dining room table was the joyful location of many family celebrations. Brennan Long, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2024 There is another perspective that feels disruptive, off-key, involving a character played by Daveed Diggs. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-key was in 1901

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Off-key.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-key. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

off-key

adjective or adverb
ˈȯf-ˈkē
: above or below the proper tone of a melody
singing off-key

More from Merriam-Webster on off-key

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