off-key
12
4.5
- 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.
- 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?
-
Which is off-key, by the way.
-
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.
-
Well, you were singing in the choir... and I noticed you right away because you were always off-key.
-
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
12
3.3
Notes are at the wrong pitch so a piano or violin sounds bad
4
6.5
Not in tune and sounding wrong
2
6.1
Not in tune with the other notes
1
5.8
Not singing or playing the right musical notes
Not at the right pitch and sounds wrong when played
Not tuned to the correct musical pitch
A sound not in tune or a remark that feels out of place
Antonyms
How In-Tune
Surface Forms
Morphology
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'.