out of keeping
1
7.5
- idiom
:
inapropiado
- I had no idea what we were doing there, in front of this shop so obviously in keeping with its surroundings in its run-down condition, looking as closed as the boarded-up hardware store on one side, as decrepit as the filthy, jumbled window of the drugstore on the other, and yet so obviously out of keeping with the neighborhood.
- seems out of keeping
- so out of keeping
Examples
-
And he seemed totally out of keeping and out of sync.
-
And he seemed totally out of keeping and out of sync.
-
But in other ways, this new scholar was not so out of keeping with the best traditions of the magazine: the pastel colors, the occasional humor of the old days, and the sense of good friends writing for each other.
Academic text (2007) -
Her style of dress was out of keeping with the formal occasion, as she arrived in casual jeans and a t-shirt.
-
His comments during the meeting were out of keeping with the professional atmosphere we strive for.
-
Wearing sandals in winter seemed completely out of keeping with the cold weather outside.
Synonyms
354
3.7
Not right for a situation or event
160
4.5
Behaving in a way that is not acceptable to others
96
4.7
Not staying the same over time and not agreeing with other facts
41
6.2
Not able to work or be used together without causing a problem
18
6.1
Not in agreement with the ideas or actions of others
Not suitable for a certain situation or purpose
Not in agreement with something else
Antonyms
How Appropriate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a productive sense 'out of' = 'not in' with 'keeping' as 'agreement/harmony', so a learner who knows both parts can roughly infer 'not in agreement with'. However, the noun use of 'keeping' in the fixed collocation 'in/out of keeping (with)' is somewhat idiomatic and somewhat formal, so the precise register and usage may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Out of keeping comes from a simple picture: the word keeping suggests things 'staying together' in the same style or order, and if one thing is out of that group it does not fit. That's why out of keeping means 'not matching' or 'not appropriate' for a situation.