Phrase guide

out of place

prep_phrase · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • out′ əv plās′
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s/
  • Australian: /ˌæɔ̯t əv ˈplæɪ̯s/
  • AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /ˌæʊ̯t əv ˈplæɪ̯s/
  • Scotland: /ˌʌʊ̯t əv ˈples/
  • India: /ˌawʈ ov ˈpleːs/

1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

Not in the proper arrangement or situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • No wonder I couldn’t find it—it was out of place.
  • She came in out of the storm with not a hair out of place.
  • Amongst all those horsey people I felt quite out of place.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dislocated, dystopic, ectopic, heterotopic, malpositioned, misplaced, out of keeping with

Antonyms: in keeping with, in place

2

prep_phrase

Meaning 2

Inappropriate for the circumstances.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • Near-synonym: atopic
  • That remark was out of place.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unseemly, atopic

Antonyms: appropriate, seemly

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

of an inappropriate or misapplied nature

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inapposite

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

in a setting where one is or feels inappropriate or incongruous

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he felt out of place in the lingerie shop

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From out of (preposition) + place (“a fitting position”, noun).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فِي غَيْرِ مَحَلِّهِ (fī ḡayri maḥallihi) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Azerbaijani: yersiz — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Bulgarian: неуместен (neumesten) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Finnish: poissa paikaltaan — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Finnish: poissa paikoiltaan — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Finnish: poissa tolaltaan — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Finnish: sopimaton — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • French: déplacé — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Galician: fóra de lugar — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • German: fehl am Platz — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Icelandic: passar ekki — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Italian: disambientato — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Italian: spaesato — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Japanese: 場違い (bachigai) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Macedonian: неу́месен (neúmesen) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Polish: nie na miejscu — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Portuguese: fora do lugar — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Portuguese: deslocado — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Russian: не к ме́сту (ne k méstu) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Russian: некста́ти (nekstáti) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Russian: невпопа́д (nevpopád) — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Spanish: fuera de lugar — not in the proper arrangement or situation
  • Swedish: på tok — not in the proper arrangement or situation