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Synonyms

out of place

Idioms  

  1. Not in the proper situation, not belonging; inappropriate for the circumstances or location. For example, A high school graduate, she felt out of place among all these academics with advanced degrees, or This velvet sofa is out of place on the porch. This idiom uses place in the sense of “a fitting position.” [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I bit my lip; nothing was out of place there.

From Literature

But a little bit more each year, I felt more out of place here, and more peace and at home there.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms. MacDonald is clearly in the tank for Nintendo: This book wouldn’t be out of place in the gift shop of the company’s headquarters.

From The Wall Street Journal

I began feeling uneasy and out of place.

From Literature

Looking at you, Avengers Campus, a half-finished land with a bombastic orchestral score and familiar, urban design that wouldn’t be out of place in downtown L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.