out of one's element
out of one's element adjective: in a situation which is unsuitable, unfamiliar, or unenjoyable.
Adjective
out of one's element (comparative more out of one's element, superlative most out of one's element)
- In a situation which is unsuitable, unfamiliar, or unenjoyable.
- 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.2004, Brian Kellow, The Bennetts: An Acting Family, The University Press of Kentucky, →ISBN
- In this varied, often mountainous terrain, the Mongols were out of their element, and they relied on local mercenaries for support.2007, Laurence Bergreen, Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 183
- Synonyms:
- out of one's depth
Synonyms of out of one's element
Antonyms
Forms of out of one's element
| comparative | more out of one's element |
|---|---|
| superlative | most out of one's element |
Questions about out of one's element
- What does out of one's element mean?
- Out of one's element means in a situation which is unsuitable, unfamiliar, or unenjoyable.
- What part of speech is out of one's element?
- Out of one's element is an adjective.
Words near out of one's element in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: out of one's element (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-out of one's element.ogg.
Cite this entry: “out of one's element.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/out_of_one%27s_element. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.