Offbase

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not aligned with the correct idea or understanding
2. Showing a lack of accuracy or being wrong in judgment
3. Failing to hit the mark or missing the point in thought or action

Etymology: "Offbase" is simply a closed-up spelling of "off base," so its history is really the history of that phrase. The idiom comes from baseball, where a runner who strays too far from the base he occupies can be tagged out. In that sense, being "off base" meant being out of position and therefore vulnerable, and the figurative sense of being wrong or mistaken grew naturally from that picture of a player caught away from safety. The unspaced form "offbase" is an alternative spelling, and it carries the same meaning as the two-word version. Readers will see it written both ways, so the closed form is a matter of style rather than a separate word with its own origin.

Synonyms: incorrect, mistaken, misguided

Antonyms: correct, accurate