off-key(ly)
|off/key|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔfˈkiː/
🇬🇧
/ˌɒfˈkiː/
(off-key)
out of tune
Etymology
'off-key' is a compound of the adverb 'off' + 'key' (the musical sense of 'key'). 'off' originates from Old English 'of' meaning 'away'; 'key' (in general use) comes from Old English 'cæg' meaning a device for opening locks, later used metaphorically for 'something that controls or determines', and then applied to musical 'key'.
'off' developed from Old English 'of' into Middle English forms 'of'/'off' meaning 'away' or 'away from'. 'key' moved from Old English 'cæg' to Middle English 'key' and acquired a musical sense (referring to a pitch or set of pitches) by the early modern period. The compound 'off-key' arose to mean 'away from the key (pitch)' and is recorded in modern English usage from the 18th–19th centuries onward.
Initially it literally described being 'away from the musical key' (i.e., not matching the pitch). Over time it kept that musical sense ('out of tune') and developed a figurative meaning of being 'unsuitable' or 'inappropriate' for a situation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being off-key; lack of correct pitch or appropriateness.
The off-keyness of the recording was obvious to everyone.
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Adjective 1
not in the correct musical key or pitch; out of tune.
The singer sounded off-key during the chorus.
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Adjective 2
figurative: inappropriate, unsuitable, or not in harmony with the situation or tone.
His joke was off-key and made several people uncomfortable.
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Adverb 1
in a manner that is out of tune or not correctly in the key (used to describe how something is sung/played or how something is expressed).
She sang the verse off-key, but recovered in the chorus.
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Last updated: 2025/10/30 15:10