Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Exhibiting bad taste.
  • adjective Varying from the usual, expected, or required color.
  • adjective Not in good health or spirits.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not of standard coloration; differing from the shade or pattern of color considered as characteristic. The term is generally applied to domesticated animals.
  • Somewhat improper or indecent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective humorously vulgar; mildly obscene; risque.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective idiomatic dirty, vulgar or obscene
  • adjective idiomatic different than usual
  • adjective idiomatic in poor health

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent
  • adjective humorously vulgar

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • They found their patrons were more willing to pay money to see an off-color than a decent one.

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • Penguins fans jeered, made cracks about Stanley Cup deficits and Ovechkin chokes, about history and heartache, some that were off-color and some that were G-rated.

    Caps fans, Pittsburgh, New Year's Eve Dan Steinberg 2011

  • To do that, there will be times when I'll need to understand slangy, off-color, and downright weird words -- all kinds -- if for no other reason than to understand what people around me are saying.

    Ensename, por favor! 2009

  • To do that, there will be times when I'll need to understand slangy, off-color, and downright weird words -- all kinds -- if for no other reason than to understand what people around me are saying.

    Ensename, por favor! 2009

  • To do that, there will be times when I'll need to understand slangy, off-color, and downright weird words -- all kinds -- if for no other reason than to understand what people around me are saying.

    Ensename, por favor! 2009

  • Rigo and its off-color, or rather on-color, confection was but one stop that the baker and I—she's been on Duane Street for two decades, and before that owned Lanciani, a bakery in the Village—visited during a trip down petit four memory lane.

    Tiny Reasons for Hope Ralph Gardner Jr. 2011

  • She laughed easily, and told off-color jokes now and then, too, that made him laugh.

    Roseanne Archy Roseanne Barr 2011

  • The worst smack of tawdriness, even indecency, which is why puns, like off-color jokes, are often followed by apologies.

    Punditry 2009

  • That was followed by an off-color declaration about his sister-in-law at Brennan's in July of 2009 that was filmed and posted on YouTube.

    Alcoholic Mayor Wants Another Chance Douglas Belkin 2011

  • To do that, there will be times when I'll need to understand slangy, off-color, and downright weird words -- all kinds -- if for no other reason than to understand what people around me are saying.

    Ensename, por favor! 2009

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