offbeat

English edit

From off- +‎ beat; not following the beat (e.g., of a drum that sounds out cadence).

offbeat (plural offbeats)

(music) The beats not normally accented in a measure.
The congregation clapped along on the offbeat.
(slang) An unconventional person, someone who does not follow the beat, who chooses not to conform.
Synonyms: oddball, free spirit, heteroclite, individualist, nonconformist; see also Thesaurus:maverick, Thesaurus:strange person
- 1977, Lyle W. Dorsett, The Queen City: A History of Denver:
  No one dignified such offbeats by responding to their outcries. Today, the "knockers of progress" have become a force that cannot be ignored.
- 1980, Eleanor C. Hein, Communication in nursing practice‎^[1], →ISBN, page 16:
  Being an oddball, an offbeat, or a creative person, as Jourard sees the committed professional, is something all nurses should risk.
- 2001, Andrew Yoder, Pirate Radio Stations:
  In addition to creating a web of stories that will be passed through many generations, these offbeats usually strengthen the fiber of their particular hobby […]

the beat not normally accented

offbeat (comparative more offbeat, superlative most offbeat)

Unusual; unconventional; not ordinary.
Synonyms: odd, peculiar, weird; see also Thesaurus:strange

He has such an offbeat sense of humor that hardly anyone finds his jokes amusing.

unusual, unconventional, not ordinary