variants
or off-colored
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent
the movie was rated PG-13 for some swearing and off-color jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of off-color
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
Yellowing can happen with some topcoats when they’re cured, giving nails an unwanted, slightly off-color tint.
—Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025
Overwatering can also result in stunted growth and off-color (yellow) foliage in annuals.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-color
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
Yellowing can happen with some topcoats when they’re cured, giving nails an unwanted, slightly off-color tint.
—Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025
Overwatering can also result in stunted growth and off-color (yellow) foliage in annuals.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-color
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-color
Adjective
-
Proofs are littered with suggestive ellipses.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
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Researchers also found highly suggestive evidence that eating more ultraprocessed foods raised the risk of obesity by 55%, sleep disorders by 41%, development of type 2 diabetes by 40% and the risk of depression by 20%.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The company makes pickles in flavors such as hot, half-sour and sweet and spicy.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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It’s finished in a spicy-sweet sauce that would make a rubber tire taste good.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Zendaya − Holland's fiancée (or perhaps wife, if her longtime stylist Law Roach is to be believed) − also stopped by to support, in a stunning blue-and-white sundress.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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But Republicans have long complained that Democrats have used the law to get winnable districts for their Black voters in red states that Republican-leaning white voters could never receive in blue states.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Off-color.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-color. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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