Out of place means not fitting in, in the wrong place. About a thing: A bright plastic chair looked out of place beside the antique desk, meaning it clashed with the room. Or literally in the wrong spot: one of the photographs was out of place. About a person: I felt out of place at the reunion because I knew almost nobody, so I felt like an outsider.
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feel / look / seem out of place; something is out of place
- I felt out of place at the reunion because I knew almost nobody.
- A bright plastic chair looked out of place beside the antique desk.
- The cleaner noticed that one of the photographs was out of place.
What changed
First versionI felt myself out of place in my formal suit at the beach party.
RevisionI felt out of place in my formal suit at the beach party.
Feel looks like a verb that needs an object, so myself gets added: I felt myself out of place. But feel describes your state directly, with no reflexive pronoun: I felt out of place. Without myself, the sentence sounds natural.
Feel at home is the opposite: comfortable, as if you belong. Out of touch is about not understanding real life, while out of place is about not fitting the setting. You can know the topic of a meeting perfectly and still feel out of place there.
Your turn
The modern sign does not suit the old building: It looks out of ___.
Show the answer
place — In the fixed phrase, place has no article: out of place. A place would mean 'some particular place'.
Remember a party where you didn't know anyone. Describe it in one sentence with out of place.
I felt completely out of place at my cousin's wedding because I didn't know anyone.
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