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Glite Dictionary
off-key

off-key

13 4.5
A voice or instrument that sounds in the wrong pitch
  • adjective
  • /ɔf ki/
: desafinado
  • She was nervous and sang off-key, making her performance less impressive than usual.
  • sing off-key
  • off-key singing
  • slightly off-key

They were like a note off key and Val came in on the right note.

Examples

  • In the background, a male quartet sings an off-key version of "I Saw the Light."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Frank Sinatra songs were sung off-key, and we banged pots and pans with metal spoons on New Year's Eve.

    Blog text (20)

  • Is that why you were off key?

    A Brother's Honor (2019)

  • Which is off-key, by the way.

    Stripperland (2011)

  • The closer we got, the more off-key it all sounded.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • They were like a note off key and Val came in on the right note.

    Adam Savage’s Tested

  • Well, you were singing in the choir... and I noticed you right away because you were always off-key.

    Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

  • Minnie Pearl sang off-key on purpose.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The Littlest Angel always sang off-key at the heavenly choir practice.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "Do you remember sweet Betsy from Pike?" he sang in an off-key tenor.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

out of tune
vsoff-key
14 3.3

Notes are at the wrong pitch so a piano or violin sounds bad

is the same meaning but as a different idiomatic form
out of key
vsoff-key
1 5.8

Not singing or playing the right musical notes

is the same idea but uses another common expression
off-note
vsoff-key
1 8.6

A sound not in tune or a remark that feels out of place

is limited to musical pitch errors rather than wrong remarks
sour
vsoff-key
1 6.5

Not in tune and sounding wrong

covers any incorrect pitch, not only unpleasant sounding ones
untuned
vsoff-key
1 5.3

Not at the right pitch and sounds wrong when played

applies to produced notes, not only instruments needing adjustment
false
vsoff-key
1 6.1

Not in tune with the other notes

refers more generally to pitch error in performance
unattuned
vsoff-key
7.5

Not tuned to the correct musical pitch

focuses specifically on pitch error rather than broader lack of harmony

Antonyms

in tune
39 3.7

Agreeing and working well with other people or ideas

on-key
2 5.9

Singing or playing the correct notes so it sounds in tune

How In-Tune

in tune
39 3.7
off-key
13 4.5
dissonant
  • Specialized
2 7.3

Surface Forms

off-key positive

Morphology

off-key = key (transparent) = off + key

The meaning 'not in the correct musical pitch' is directly derived from the prefix 'off' indicating deviation and 'key' referring to musical pitch.

Etymology

Off-key comes from the parts off ('not') and key ('the musical key' or 'correct pitch'), so to sing off-key is to be 'not in the right key', that is, 'out of tune'.