off-color
adjective
off-col·or
ˈȯf-ˈkə-lər 
variants
or off-colored
1
a
: not having the right or standard color
b
: being out of sorts
2
a
: of doubtful propriety : dubious
b
: verging on the indecent
off-color remarks
Examples of off-color in a Sentence
the movie was rated PG-13 for some swearing and off-color jokes
Recent Examples on the Web
After bursting out of the middle of a snowman, Dusty steps down into the audience to do a little of her famous off-color crowd work.
—
Merrill Markoe, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Variety reported at the time that Lemon had off-color remarks about former colleagues Nancy Grace and Soledad O'Brien on air and in meetings.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026
Musk previously drew criticism for making an off-color joke about Sweeney's body in December.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
To wear a device is to pull everyone around you into your data stream, where an off-color joke or a bad moment will be recorded—and eventually used to train future AI systems.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for off-color
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Merrill Markoe, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Variety reported at the time that Lemon had off-color remarks about former colleagues Nancy Grace and Soledad O'Brien on air and in meetings.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026
Musk previously drew criticism for making an off-color joke about Sweeney's body in December.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
To wear a device is to pull everyone around you into your data stream, where an off-color joke or a bad moment will be recorded—and eventually used to train future AI systems.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for off-color
Cite this Entry
“Off-color.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-color. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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