off-color

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.

In the one-way broadcast channel, guests could only emoji-react, so the thread wasn’t cluttered with giant stickers or, say, off-color replies from an unfiltered uncle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

According to the New York Times, Trump liked Lewandowski for his “feisty instincts and off-color humor” but he ended up reluctantly firing him after he’d manhandled a reporter.

From Salon • Oct. 17, 2025

But let’s be clear: Plenty of people wrote mean, off-color things that they wouldn’t say out loud.

From Slate • Sep. 11, 2025

Mr. Cook, who no longer works in law enforcement, said that while he was not proud of his texts, it is common for police officers to exchange off-color jokes about their work.

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

An off-color anecdote, a laugh in the wrong place.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee