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
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.
“Power dynamics, social control; the actual themes the films are exploring seem very simple and universal to me,” he says, “but the ways in which he’s exploring them are always askew.”
From Los Angeles Times
After one flight, he parked his aircraft so askew that ground crew had to reposition the jet.
She turned back to the mirror and poked at the poor little bird, which had fallen askew.
From Literature
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
Young Andrew, by contrast, looked a bit of a scapegrace, tie askew.
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.
