adj, adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Above or below the correct note sequence; especially a vocalist out of sync with a separately recorded musical accompaniment
2. 2
   Not harmonious, or out of accord. broadly

Adjective

1. 1
   inaccurate in pitch wordnet

Adverb

1. 1
   An inaccurate note sequence that is either above or below where it is intended to be.

   "The way your smile just beams / The way you sing off-key / The way you haunt my dreams / No, no—they can't take that away from me"

Synonyms

All synonyms

abnormalanomalousatonalcrackeddisconsonantdiscordant

Example

More examples

"Maria sings as off-key as a cat."

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.