Meanings
comparative more out of sorts · superlative most out of sorts
- idiomaticIrritable or somewhat unwell, with vague medical symptoms.
"My lads," said he, "we've had a hot day and are all tired and out of sorts."
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 13, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC2 more examples
[T]he trooper fails to fasten the brooch. His hand shakes, he is nervous, and it falls off. "Would any one believe this?" says he, catching it as it drops and looking round. "I am so out of sorts that I bungle at an easy job like this!"
1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, “Dutiful Friendship”, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC, pages 474–475Carlo Ancelotti's out-of-sorts team struggled to hit the target in the first half as Bolton threatened with Matthew Taylor lashing just wide.
2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC - datedmediaWith some letters or sorts of type deficient or exhausted in the case or font.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Comes from printing terminology where "sort" means a metal type for printing a particular letter.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan pioc
- piocirritable or somewhat unwell
Czech ne ve své kůži
- ne ve své kůžiirritable or somewhat unwell
Dutch uit zijn element
- uit zijn elementirritable or somewhat unwell
Hungarian rosszul, rossz passzban
- rosszulirritable or somewhat unwell
- rossz passzbanirritable or somewhat unwell
Icelandic vera illa fyrir kallaður, vellulegur
- vera illa fyrir kallaðurirritable or somewhat unwell
- vellulegurirritable or somewhat unwell
Italian fuori fase
- fuori faseirritable or somewhat unwell
Māori maninohea
- maninoheairritable or somewhat unwell
Polish nie w sosie
- nie w sosieirritable or somewhat unwell
Portuguese indisposto, de mal humor
- indispostoirritable or somewhat unwell
- de mal humorirritable or somewhat unwell
Spanish indispuesto, pachucho
- indispuestoirritable or somewhat unwell
- pachuchoirritable or somewhat unwell
Cite this entry
out of sorts. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20sorts
“out of sorts.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20sorts. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out of sorts,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20sorts.
Source: out of sorts on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.