: an unaccented beat or portion of a beat in a musical measure
: different from the ordinary, usual, or expected in usually an appealing way : eccentric, unconventional
an offbeat romantic comedy
… you have to drive through a shallow stream to reach this wonderfully offbeat inn, hiding behind immaculate rows of fruit trees. But it's worth it.—
William Sertl
William SertlLuscious ice cream made fresh daily comes in such offbeat flavors as banana-walnut, chocolate-cherry, and nectarine.—Caroline Bates
Caroline Bates… our profession's deepest and darkest secret—that libraries are a ball to work in and that librarians tend to be rather offbeat and funky people.—Will Manley
Will ManleyExamples of offbeat in a Sentence
Adjective
She has an offbeat sense of humor.
He often plays offbeat characters in his films.
an offbeat approach to teaching
The performance was refreshingly offbeat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Blake Simons, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Burke has revived his show for the streaming age, with six new episodes about the way things change, maintaining the series’s integrity and also its appetite for the offbeat.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 24 May 2025
Throw in offbeat sports titles, blockbuster remakes of beloved stealth-action games, and even an art-house herding game and this has all the makings of a killer 2025 mid-section.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for offbeat
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Noun
Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped her from finding interest in the offbeat.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Burke has revived his show for the streaming age, with six new episodes about the way things change, maintaining the series’s integrity and also its appetite for the offbeat.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023
Adjective
More to Explore Lessons in Mannerism at the Palazzo del Te
Ashley Gardini
August 13, 2024
The offbeat and unexpected Palazzo del Te, designed by Giulio Romano for Federigo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, has become an icon of Mannerist architecture.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 24 May 2025
Throw in offbeat sports titles, blockbuster remakes of beloved stealth-action games, and even an art-house herding game and this has all the makings of a killer 2025 mid-section.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for offbeat
Cite this Entry
“Offbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offbeat. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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