offbeat
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From off- + beat; not following the beat (e.g., of a drum that sounds out cadence)
Pronunciation
Noun
offbeat (plural offbeats)
- (music) The beats not normally accented in a measure.
- The congregation clapped along on the offbeat.
- (slang) An unconventional person, someone who does not follow the beat, who chooses not to conform; an oddball.
- 1977, Lyle W. Dorsett, The Queen City: A History of Denver:
- No one dignified such offbeats by responding to their outcries. Today, the "knockers of progress" have become a force that cannot be ignored.
- 2001, Andrew Yoder, Pirate Radio Stations:
- 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 […]
Synonyms
- (unconventional person): free spirit, heteroclite, individualist, nonconformist; see also Thesaurus:maverick or Thesaurus:strange person
Translations
the beat not normally accented
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Adjective
offbeat (comparative more offbeat, superlative most offbeat)
- Unusual; unconventional; not ordinary.
- He has such an offbeat sense of humor that hardly anyone finds his jokes amusing.
Synonyms
- odd, peculiar, weird; see also Thesaurus:strange
Translations
unusual, unconventional, not ordinary
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