off-balance
About to topple
Off-balance describes a state of physical or mental instability.
Literally, it means not balanced or steady: The sudden stop threw me off-balance.
Figuratively, it describes being unprepared or unsettled: The unexpected question caught her off-balance.
To keep someone off-balance is to prevent them from regaining composure or control.
Prone to sudden change
- wobblyTending to teeter
- teeteringUnstably balanced, nearly falling
- stumblingWalking clumsily, almost falling
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
tilted · leaning · toppling · swaying · lurching · staggering · precarious · faltering
Not yet resolved
- flusteredNervously upset and confused
- rattledDisturbed and unsettled
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
- thrownPropelled by arm
shaken · disconcerted · unnerved · caught off guard · destabilized · overwhelmed · confused · anxious
Amount still owed
- shortfallFailure to reach quota
- overdrawnBeyond account funds
- inequityUnfair distribution or treatment
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
uneven · skewed · disproportionate · imbalanced · underwater · overleveraged · misallocated · asymmetric
Lacking social or economic resources
- outmaneuveredDefeated through superior tactics
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- exposedOut in open
- unpreparedLacking readiness beforehand
defensive · reactive · surprised · ambushed · flanked · overextended · wrong-footed · countered
unstable
Prone to sudden change
- wobblyTending to teeter
- teeteringUnstably balanced, nearly falling
- stumblingWalking clumsily, almost falling
unsteady · tilted · leaning · toppling · swaying · lurching · staggering · precarious · faltering · tottering
unsettled
Not yet resolved
- flusteredNervously upset and confused
- rattledDisturbed and unsettled
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
thrown · shaken · disconcerted · unnerved · caught off guard · destabilized · overwhelmed · confused · anxious · bewildered
deficit
Amount still owed
- shortfallFailure to reach quota
- overdrawnBeyond account funds
- inequityUnfair distribution or treatment
disparity · uneven · skewed · disproportionate · imbalanced · underwater · overleveraged · misallocated · asymmetric · irregular
disadvantaged
Lacking social or economic resources
- outmaneuveredDefeated through superior tactics
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- exposedOut in open
unprepared · defensive · reactive · surprised · ambushed · flanked · overextended · wrong-footed · countered · feinted
- stabilitystable, steady, firmness, unstable, equilibrium
- dizzinessdizziness, dizzy spell, lightheadedness, vertigo, wooziness
- defensive mistakesexposed flank, overcommitment, poor footwork, slow reaction, late shift
- crookedcrooked, askew, awry, lopsided, off-center
- posture expressionsslouch, slump, hunch, stoop, stand tall
off-balancecomposed
Calm and self-possessed
centered · grounded · collected · poised · self-possessed
off-balancebalanced
In a state of equilibrium
symmetrical · proportional · harmonious · well-proportioned · even
balance, balanced, unbalanced, imbalance, balancing, counterbalance, imbalances, balancer, rebalance