out-of-the-way

IPA/ˌaʊt əv ðə ˈweɪ/
IPA/ˌaʊt əv ðə ˈweɪ/

out-of-the-way — adjective

1. located a long distance from busy towns, main roads, or popular travel routes, s

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

located a long distance from busy towns, main roads, or popular travel routes, so very few people pass through or visit.

Example

Asher booked a tiny cabin in an out-of-the-way fishing village in northern Maine.

attributive use before noun: out-of-the-way + place noun

The temple sits in an out-of-the-way valley three hours from the nearest train station.

collocation: out-of-the-way + valley / village / spot

Common collocations
  • out-of-the-way village
  • out-of-the-way spot
  • out-of-the-way corner
  • out-of-the-way place
Synonyms
  • remote

    more formal; commonly used of regions and areas

  • secluded

    emphasises quiet privacy as well as distance

  • off the beaten track

    informal phrase; suggests pleasantly unusual to visit

Antonyms
  • central

    easy to reach from main routes

  • accessible

    general antonym; reachable without effort

Grammar Patterns

out-of-the-way + noun

be + out-of-the-way

Usage Note

Almost always used attributively before a place noun (village, spot, town, valley). Distinguish from sense 2 by context — sense 1 always describes a physical location.

Common Mistakes

The village is very out-of-the-way from the city.
The village is a long way from the city.
'out-of-the-way' is mostly attributive; predicative use sounds awkward without 'rather' or 'a bit'.

2. noticeably different from what is normal or expected; describing facts, ideas, o

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

noticeably different from what is normal or expected; describing facts, ideas, or details that you rarely meet in everyday life.

Example

Professor Lan kept asking out-of-the-way questions about Roman coin weights.

collocation: out-of-the-way + facts / questions / details

The quiz champion stores hundreds of out-of-the-way facts about old films.

Common collocations
  • out-of-the-way facts
  • out-of-the-way subjects
  • out-of-the-way details
Synonyms
  • obscure

    stresses being little-known; common in academic writing

  • uncommon

    broader; can describe people and objects as well as ideas

  • esoteric

    stronger; suggests known only to specialists

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

out-of-the-way + noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually an abstract noun (fact, detail, subject, topic, question), not a physical thing. Distinguish from sense 1 by what follows: sense 1 modifies place nouns, sense 2 modifies idea / information nouns.

Common Mistakes

She drives an out-of-the-way car.
She drives an unusual car.
'out-of-the-way' for 'unusual' applies to ideas or facts, not to objects.

3. describing behaviour or speech that is socially wrong, mildly rude, or crosses a

3.adjectiveC2
Definition

describing behaviour or speech that is socially wrong, mildly rude, or crosses a line that most people would not cross.

Example

Isabela apologised after making an out-of-the-way comment about her colleague's divorce.

collocation: out-of-the-way + remark / comment

Nothing out-of-the-way was said at the dinner, though the topic was sensitive.

common negative frame: nothing out-of-the-way

Common collocations
  • out-of-the-way remark
  • out-of-the-way comment
  • nothing out-of-the-way
  • anything out-of-the-way
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

out-of-the-way + noun

Usage Note

Mostly appears in negative or restrictive frames ('nothing/anything out-of-the-way'), and almost always describes spoken remarks or behaviour. Distinguish from sense 2 (unusual facts/ideas) — sense 3 carries a clear moral or social judgement.

Common Mistakes

His outfit was out-of-the-way.
His outfit was unusual.
sense 3 judges social behaviour or speech, not clothes or objects.
Idioms

nothing/anything out-of-the-way

idiom

used in a fixed negative or restrictive frame after 'nothing' or 'anything' to label a remark or action as crossing social rules — slightly old-fashioned but still seen in formal writing.

Brandon promised his grandmother he would not say anything out-of-the-way at the church lunch.

Nothing out-of-the-way happened during the meeting, despite the heated topic on the agenda.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe places that are hard to reach, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Out-of-the-way' is informal-to-neutral and is almost always used attributively before a small location noun (an out-of-the-way village, an out-of-the-way spot). 'Remote' is more formal and can stand on its own ('the region is remote'), and is often used of large areas — remote islands, remote regions. 'Secluded' adds the idea of being quiet and private, often with a positive feeling ('a secluded beach'); it's a favourite word in travel writing. 'Off the beaten track' is informal and usually positive, suggesting somewhere worth visiting because few tourists go there. For example, you would say 'The hotel is in an out-of-the-way fishing village off the beaten track' but 'The Arctic Circle is one of the most remote regions in the world.'

out-of-the-way ↗remote ↗secludedoff the beaten track ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • nothing out-of-the-way
  • anything out-of-the-way
  • somewhere out-of-the-way

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

A compound adjective built from the everyday English phrase 'out of the way', meaning literally 'not in the path'. From the 1500s onwards English writers began joining the three small words with hyphens to use them before a noun, first to mean 'far from main roads' and later, by extension, to mean 'unusual' (something off the normal road of thought) and 'improper' (something off the proper road of behaviour). The hyphenated form is now standard when the phrase comes before a noun.

First known use

1704

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1