How to Use off-the-wall in a Sentence

off-the-wall

adjective
  • Don’t be afraid to use bright colors and off-the-wall (or on-the-wall) patterns in your space.
    — Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 21 July 2023
  • Ziggi’s develops some off-the-wall drinks.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Scott, in real life, is known for having off-the-wall ideas, and there’s some of that in Ness.
    — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2025
  • What’s your favorite off-the-wall rendition of a birthday anthem?
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Rather, the failures here just highlight everything that makes Swag sound so fresh and off-the-wall.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
  • This was not a year for major turmoil in March or crazy off-the-wall selections by the committee.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • It was inspired by a social media tradition in which users come up with off-the-wall costume ideas and share them online.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
  • Two more were plated on a sacrifice fly from Edman and an off-the-wall double from Smith.
    — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
  • But as expected, a variety of off-the-wall and absurd questions were thrown Kelce’s way.
    — Nate Taylor, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
  • What is Fashion Month without a few off-the-wall accessories and beauty looks?
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Next time one of these off-the-wall opportunities comes along, simply say no thanks and avoid becoming the dumb money.
    — Andrew Rosen, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
  • Supreme is famous for its off-the-wall collabs that run the gamut from Airstream to Barbour to Honda.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2023
  • That’s the premise of Zack Snyder’s full-throttle, off-the-wall action film where no set piece is too big and no idea is too bonkers.
    — Sara Netzley, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2025
  • This is the inside story of how that off-the-wall Korean film made history at the Oscars five years ago.
    — Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Their off-the-wall interactive exhibitions are meant to make art feel accessible to all.
    — Michelle Aslam, Dallas News, 5 July 2023
  • Gordon established himself as a grue-auteur with this completely off-the-wall take on the well-trod zombie formula.
    — Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2024
  • And don’t be afraid to go bright with your kicks; off-the-wall hues like yellow, wine, and red will make even low-effort outfits (like a white T-shirt and straight-leg jeans) pop.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 25 July 2024
  • Archigram Ten revisits some of the group’s more off-the-wall ideas and explorations of modular and mobile structures.
    — Morgan Meier, Curbed, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Guillermo Rodriguez went around to Chiefs and Eagles players and asked them a variety of off-the-wall questions.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The story switches between moments of off-the-wall humor and more serious, heartfelt messages about love, friendship and the holiday season.
    — Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
  • There, his off-the-wall creations like blues singer Calhoun Tubbs and horny prison inmate Tiny made Grier one of the show's most beloved performers.
    — Elliott Smith, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The video projections, costumes and lighting give evidence of many, many imaginations working overtime to find the perfect effect or the most off-the-wall design.
    — Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
  • The Lumen cocktail bar, meanwhile, has an exceptional cocktail menu that runs the gamut from beloved Italian classics to off-the-wall inventions.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • Variety has obtained a copy of the 2026 guest list, which promises another blockbuster year of chief executives and a few off-the-wall invites.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 June 2026
  • People in creative fields can use the image generators to quickly sketch out ideas, including unexpected off-the-wall material.
    — Eric Smalley, The Conversation, 19 Apr. 2023
  • For Oxford American, Wendy Brenner recounts the joys of working as an art-framer, sharing her process and tales of a boss who’s more than a little off-the-wall.
    — Krista Stevens, Longreads, 17 Apr. 2024
  • Directed by first-timer Ben Jacobson, who also plays one of the leads, the film offers up nothing all that new under the sun, with a caper plot that’s too off-the-wall to be convincing.
    — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Heller and Adams are a dynamic pair, finding ways to punctuate their bizarre tale with brutal honesty, off-the-wall humor, and a desire to celebrate the messiness and magic of motherhood.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2024
  • The inevitable holiday frenzy, of course, needs a frenetic soundtrack, and Hasil Adkins' off-the-wall psychobilly absolutely fits the bill.
    — Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023
  • That game feels like a proper military sim, while Black Ops 7 seems to be taking the franchise in an absurdist direction, not just futuristic but completely off-the-wall.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'off-the-wall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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