Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

out of one's element

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.12 in modern English

Syllables: out- of one's ele-ment
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

In a situation which is unsuitable, unfamiliar, or unenjoyable.

Example Sentences

"Mrs. Hobson was particularly out of her element in New York, which she regarded as the most sinful of cities, and seldom ventured out of the apartment for any length of time."
"In this varied, often mountainous terrain, the Mongols were out of their element, and they relied on local mercenaries for support."
"Unfortunately, Alba appears out of her element in both roles, particularly with respect to her attempt to proximate believable accents for her characters."

Inflected Forms

more out of one's element (comparative) most out of one's element (superlative)

Synonyms

out of one's depth

Antonyms

at home in one's element

Questions

What does out of one's element mean?: In a situation which is unsuitable, unfamiliar, or unenjoyable.

How to pronounce out of one's element

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