offbeat

adjective

ˈȯf-ˈbēt How to pronounce offbeat (audio)
Definition of offbeatnext
1
as in bizarre
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion an offbeat approach to the task, but it gets the job done

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unusual
noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced this writer has an enjoyably offbeat sense of humor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offbeat The name stuck, adding another layer to the offbeat personality of the place. — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026 Many job seekers are now listing offbeat, distinctly human pastimes on their resumes like birdhouse building in order to stand out. — Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Yasiin Bey, credited as Mos Def, is Michael, a quirky law student picking up shifts as a prison guard who would fit better in a Wes Anderson ensemble comedy, but that’s also what gives the flick an offbeat rhythm. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 25 Aug. 2026 Though he‘s known for his offbeat humor, Zucker’s brain is firing on a perpetual metronome. — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for offbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offbeat
  1. bizarre
  2. unusual
  3. funny
  4. uncommon
  5. strange
  6. weird
  7. odd
  8. peculiar
Adjective
  • Creating a licensing body is not a bizarre idea in a world where the FAA determines the airworthiness of planes and banks must pass stress tests to operate.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • From bizarre medical tests to a mass phobia of beans, here are 14 surprising facts that reveal just how inventive, eccentric, and fascinating the ancient Greeks really were.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bizarre
Adjective
  • Atomic hydrogen’s unusual reactivity could potentially be useful in other areas of organic chemistry and, over the longer term, biological sciences.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The unusual diversion also led to discussion among travelers online, some of whom shared their own experiences with restroom problems aboard flights.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unusual
Adjective
  • And Widow’s Bay was, of course, very successful at alternating between scary and funny bits.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Ashton was charming, funny, ridiculously handsome, and fascinated by all things tech.
    — Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • The 1997 Disney movie Hercules mixed Roman and Greek names, helping propagate this and other inaccuracies (not uncommon in Hollywood’s depictions of ancient Greece).
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This is not uncommon — women make up 4% of laureates since the award’s inception, though that has inched up to 12% in the past decade.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncommon
Adjective
  • The small army at Kostabi World turned out images of featureless characters moving through strange, otherworldly scenes, caught between intimacy, alienation, and the discomfort of contemporary life.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The first bit of growth might be especially strange-looking, says Sutcliffe.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • One of those weird lizard things from NBC’s very similar Surface, a 2005 drama mostly, if barely, remembered by television critics?
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The matches were entertaining, in a weird, raw kind of way—slapstick football.
    — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of weird
Adjective
  • Small Prophets This tiny, pleasantly odd British comedy from the creator of Detectorists stars Pearce Quigley and Michael Palin.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Their mother took up odd jobs to make extra money, Porrata said, including making and selling pizzas and doing hair from home.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of odd
Adjective
  • Though, of course, because Larry is Larry (and therefore governed by a peculiar physics that dictates that every step forward be followed by two in reverse), his year at SNL would prove to be far from a rosy adventure.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Over to the right, where the half-dozen tech leaders had signed on, things looked considerably more chaotic and peculiar.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of peculiar

Browse Nearby Words

off base
offbeat
off-color
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Cite this Entry

“Offbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offbeat. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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