Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Music Pitched higher or lower than the correct notes of a melody.
- adjective Being out of accord with what is considered normal or appropriate.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Deviating from the proper pitch; -- of a musical note or series of notes.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective music
pitched inaccurately either above or below the correctnote - adjective by extension not
harmonious , or out ofaccord
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective inaccurate in pitch
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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“You can have whatever you like,” Dyme sang off-key.
Real wifeys Meesha Mink 2011
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Eyes closed, she danced with the woman in her memory, slipping into her own off-key hum to accompany her steps when the words failed her.
Healing the Highlander Melissa Mayhue 2011
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In the decades since, the record's off-key vocals and hapless rhythms have made it both a musical punch line and, remarkably, a contrarian rallying point for inscrutable art.
Sour Notes On Stage Andy Beta 2011
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Worried that the normal partisan overtones at the State of the Union address would seem off-key after the Jan. 8 shooting that targeted Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, some lawmakers sat with their colleagues across the aisle to listen to President Obama's speech.
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How we watch some hundred billion stars slide left to right each night while coyotes wail off-key and bats dip and swoop in their nightly smorgasbord.
alice d’alessio | days we are given « poetry dispatch & other notes from the underground 2009
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The unconscionable truth fused his mind, body and soul in a foreign uncertainty and the rhythm that had heretofore produced harmony in his life was now off-key.
Who Said It Would Be Easy Cheryl Faye 2011
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Eyes closed, she danced with the woman in her memory, slipping into her own off-key hum to accompany her steps when the words failed her.
Healing the Highlander Melissa Mayhue 2011
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In this case, it sounds as if the President blew off the question so, if it was orchestrated, the orchestra was off-key.
Reliable Sources: Journos spar over Obama presser question 2009
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The unconscionable truth fused his mind, body and soul in a foreign uncertainty and the rhythm that had heretofore produced harmony in his life was now off-key.
Who Said It Would Be Easy Cheryl Faye 2011
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How we watch some hundred billion stars slide left to right each night while coyotes wail off-key and bats dip and swoop in their nightly smorgasbord.
December « 2009 « poetry dispatch & other notes from the underground 2009
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