askew
Americanadverb
-
to one side; out of line; in a crooked position; awry.
to wear one's hat askew;
to hang a picture askew.
-
with disapproval, scorn, contempt, etc.; disdainfully.
They looked askew at the painting.
adjective
adverb
Usage
Spelling tips for askew The spelling of askew shouldn’t be confused with the somewhat similar sounding word eschew. How to spell askew: Think of askew as a combination of the adjective-forming prefix a- and the verb skew (adjectives like asleep and ablaze are formed in the same way). Or pretend that someone asks you if a picture frame is askew, and that you respond really rudely: “Do you even have to ask? Ew.”
Other Word Forms
- askewness noun
Etymology
Origin of askew
Explanation
Although it sounds like a sneeze, the word askew means lopsided or turned and tilted to the side. Like your glasses might be after, well, a sneeze. Anything askew is crooked. The word askew probably comes from Old Norse for "on a skew," or "to turn aside." No matter how you look at it, anything askew is at an angle. If a picture is askew, you might tilt your head to look at it, and if the books on a library shelf are askew, a conscientious librarian might tidy them up.
Vocabulary lists containing askew
List 3
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Chains
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are a number of other reasons someone might look askew from the back view.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
Coating cools while dripping from an arm, smiles askew send mixed signals, smeared eyes like they’d been up late partying with the tarts, blemishes, cracked sugary skin.
From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026
In the fourth quarter of 2025, demand growth will even ease back compared to the previous three months, "adding to market balances that look increasingly askew", the IEA said.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
Young Andrew, by contrast, looked a bit of a scapegrace, tie askew.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025
They look as windblown as I feel, the frenzy of adrenaline in their eyes and their hair askew.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
