askance

[ uh-skans ]

adverb

1. with suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval:

   He looked askance at my offer.

   Synonyms: suspiciously, skeptically

2. with a side glance; sidewise; obliquely.

askance

/ əˈskæns; əˈskænt /

adverb

1. with an oblique glance
2. with doubt or mistrust

Word History and Origins

Origin of askance¹

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier a scanche, a sca(u)nce; of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of askance¹

C16: of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases

see look askance .

Example Sentences

Establishment figures look a bit askance at the Kentucky senator because of his isolationist roots.

From The Daily Beast

Her gay fans will look askance and move on around Streisand.

From The Daily Beast

Short sellers—investors who look for overvalued stock they hope will go down—have also looked askance at SodaStream.

From The Daily Beast

They'd look awfully askance at anything like this happening five or whatever weeks before an election.

From The Daily Beast

To hear her friends tell it, she is a bit like one of the fearsome middle-school girls who was looking askance at Swift.

From The Daily Beast

He eyed Bumble askance as he entered, but scarcely deigned to nod his head in acknowledgment of his salutation.

From Project Gutenberg

And the conversation then broke down, and the brothers looked askance at one another in silence.

From Project Gutenberg

I thought they looked at me askance, and I made sure that the more superstitious crossed themselves on my approach.

From Project Gutenberg

We crave and struggle for individuality; here was mine restored to me, and I looked at it askance.

From Project Gutenberg

Many shrugged their shoulders, while Capitan Toringoy merely looked askance at Isagani.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• skeptically
• suspiciously