out of kilter

English

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out of kilter

/ˌaʊt əv ˈkɪltə/ UK
/ˌaʊt əv ˈkɪltɚ/ US

Where it comes from

From out of + kilter, kelter (“good condition, form, or order; fettle”). The latter word is of uncertain origin, but appears widely in a British dialect and also in the United States.

phrase out of kelter

idiomatic Askew, disturbed; not adjusted or working properly; out of order. I stayed up late to watch a movie, and my entire sleeping schedule has been out of kilter ever since.

Translations

Every language

prep_phrase askew, disturbed; not adjusted or working properly

Français	décalé, déséquilibré, déglingué
Italiano	fuori fase

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Cite this

MLA

"out of kilter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/out%20of%20kilter. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

out of kilter. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/out%20of%20kilter

Chicago

"out of kilter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/out%20of%20kilter.

BibTeX

@misc{out_of_kilter_2026,
  title = {out of kilter},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/out%20of%20kilter},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}