Dictionary

offbeat en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɒfˈbiːt/
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From off- + beat; not following the beat (e.g., of a drum that sounds out cadence).

Meanings

1. (figuratively, slang) Unusual; unconventional; not ordinary.
   • He has such an offbeat sense of humor that hardly anyone finds his jokes amusing.

Forms

Deriveds

offbeatness

Synonyms

nonstandard · unconventional · kooky · fey · weird · trippy · heteroclite · queer as a clockwork orange · queer as a nine bob note · yampy · outlandish · singular · eldritch · abnormal · unreasonable · queer as a three dollar bill · quaint · peculiar · outré · peculiar · uncanny · freak · exceptional · incongruitous · anomalous · alien · unexpected · unusual · uncommon · out of the ordinary · funny · rum · extraordinary · incongruous · bizarre · unwonted · forby · unearthly · odd · selcouth · strange · freakish · aberrant · discrepant · curious · queer as a coot · monstrous · uncouth · queer · deviant · rare · eerie · odd · fremd · as queer as Dick's hatband · freaky · weirdsome · rummy · hinky · queer as Dick's hatband · booky · irregular · errant · weird · seld

Translations (20)

hu szokatlan (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · pl niekonwencjonalny (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · de ungewöhnlich (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · pl nietypowy (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · hu formabontó (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · fi omituinen (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · es poco convencional (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · fi epätavallinen (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · de unkonventionell (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · hu nem megszokott/szokványos (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · de schräg (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · es raro (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · fr décalé (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · et ebaharilik (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · gl non convencional (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · fi outolintu (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · ru нешабло́нный (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · ru нестанда́ртный (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · es original (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary) · ru нетрадицио́нный (unusual, unconventional, not ordinary)

offbeat en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɒfbiːt/
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From off- + beat; not following the beat (e.g., of a drum that sounds out cadence).

Meanings

1. The beats not normally accented in a measure.
   • The congregation clapped along on the offbeat.
2. (figuratively, slang) An unconventional person, someone who does not follow the beat, who chooses not to conform.
   • In addition to creating a web of stories that will be passed through many generations, these offbeats usually strengthen the fiber of their particular hobby […] 2001, Andrew Yoder, Pirate Radio Stations:
   • No one dignified such offbeats by responding to their outcries. Today, the "knockers of progress" have become a force that cannot be ignored. 1977, Lyle W. Dorsett, The Queen City: A History of Denver:
   • Being an oddball, an offbeat, or a creative person, as Jourard sees the committed professional, is something all nurses should risk. 1980, Eleanor C. Hein, Communication in nursing practice, →ISBN, page 16:

Forms

Synonyms

crank · eccentric · strange fish · coot · deviant · rum · offbeat · oddity · maverick · individualist · free spirit · odd duck · heteroclite · weirdo · live one · heteroclite · wild man · strangeling · strange bird · misfit · nutcase · wacko · wingnut · oddball · outré · individualist · deviate · odd fish · kook · weirdie · nutter · nutbar · queerdo · eccentric · weirdling · free spirit · nonconformist · bizarro · odd bod · glaik · queer fish · oddball · crackpot · freak · nutbag · hard case · nonconformist · wack

Translations (2)

pl słaba część taktu (the beat not normally accented) · mi taki iti (the beat not normally accented)