Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

off-the-wall

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.99 in modern English

Syllables: of-f-the-wall
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.

adj

Of a person's behaviour: greatly inappropriate.

Example Sentences

"What kind of a harebrained, off-the-wall idea is that?"
"She is a very off-the-wall character."
"What makes it surprising, though, are the glimmers of wit and self-awareness beneath all the rap star swagger and over-the-top confrontations. Even the fervid finale had a few off-the-wall side jokes."
"All of their friends were amazed that they were familiar with a war hero. Some began to understand Chips' moods and drinking. His "off the wall" behaviour at times. And unknowingly they were "forgiving" him."

Etymology

Perhaps from baseball or other games played with a ball, alluding to unpredictable bounces; but compare also bounce off the walls.

Inflected Forms

more off-the-wall (comparative) most off-the-wall (superlative) off the wall (alternative)

Phrases

bounce off the walls

Frequently Paired Words

bounce off the walls

Synonyms

bizarre eccentric freakish freaky flaky flakey gonzo outlandish outre

Questions

What does off-the-wall mean?: Wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.
Where does off-the-wall come from?: Perhaps from baseball or other games played with a ball, alluding to unpredictable bounces; but compare also bounce off the walls.

How to pronounce off-the-wall

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “off-the-wall”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “off-the-wall”.
Repeat and practice — Say “off-the-wall” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.