off-color

/ɔfˈkʌlər/

Something that's off-color is offensive or vulgar. Your parents might stop inviting your uncle for Thanksgiving after years of his embarrassing, off-color jokes.

You'll most often find the adjective off-color describing jokes that make some listeners laugh, but offend or disgust others. Standup comedians are frequently famous for their off-color humor, while politicians caught telling off-color stories can face serious career difficulties. Before American English adopted off-color to mean "in questionable taste," this adjective was used to describe faulty gemstones.

Definitions of off-color

1. adjective

   in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent
   “an off-color joke”

   synonyms: indelicate, off-colour

   tasteless

   lacking aesthetic or social taste
2. adjective

   humorously vulgar
   “off-color jokes”

   synonyms: bawdy, ribald

   dirty

   (of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency
3. adjective

   somewhat sick or unwell