Meanings
comparative more off-the-wall · superlative most off-the-wall · alternative off the wall
- idiomaticWildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.
She is a very off-the-wall character.
2 more examples
What kind of a harebrained, off-the-wall idea is that?
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.
2015 March 19, Alessandra Stanley, “'Empire' Finale Review: A Sizzling End to Season One”, in New York Times - idiomaticOf a person's behaviour: greatly inappropriate.
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.
2012, Reginald Pierce, The Paladin, page 204
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveconspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Perhaps from baseball or other games played with a ball, alluding to unpredictable bounces; but compare also bounce off the walls.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 荒诞的, 疯狂的
- 荒诞的 (huāngdàn)wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- 疯狂的 (fēngkuáng)wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
Dutch buitenissig
- buitenissigwildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
French à côté de la plaque
- à côté de la plaquewildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
German schräg, abgedreht
- schrägwildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- abgedrehtwildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- schrillwildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- bizarrwildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- danebengreatly inappropriate
Italian fuori dalle righe
- fuori dalle righewildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
Polish od czapy
- od czapywildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
Russian чудной, нелепый
- чудной (čudnoj)wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- нелепый (nelepyj)wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
- ни в какие ворота (ni v kakije vorota)greatly inappropriate
Swedish uppåt väggarna
- uppåt väggarnawildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd
Cite this entry
off-the-wall. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-the-wall
“off-the-wall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-the-wall. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “off-the-wall,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-the-wall.
Source: off-the-wall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.