askew

[ uh-skyoo ]

adverb

1. to one side; out of line; in a crooked position; awry:

   to wear one's hat askew;

   to hang a picture askew.

2. with disapproval, scorn, contempt, etc.; disdainfully:

   They looked askew at the painting.

adjective

1. crooked; awry:

   Your clothes are all askew.

askew

/ əˈskjuː /

adverb

1. at an oblique angle; towards one side; awry

Other Words From

• a·skewness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of askew¹

First recorded in 1565–75; a- ¹ + skew

Example Sentences

However, like many things in Japan, the statistics and the reality are always slightly askew.

From The Daily Beast

That Byron himself had been raised a Scotsman and a Calvinist placed him from birth slightly askew from the ruling British elite.

From The Daily Beast

Stuck on the wall behind the judge was a sheet of paper, slightly askew, with this word in neat black letters: “NORTH.”

From The Daily Beast

“Beside me the young Brit was snoring softly now, his glasses askew on his fin-shaped nose,” Obama wrote.

From The Daily Beast

Wearing a dark blazer and a slightly askew lavender tie, he could have passed for a young Tom Cruise.

From The Daily Beast

She was a woman of too much natural and acquired poise to remain askew under any shock.

From Project Gutenberg

Ivan Afanasiitch stood still a moment, groped after his cap, put it on askew, and went out without closing his mouth.

From Project Gutenberg

To one side a great metal cylinder lay askew a heap of rubbish.

From Project Gutenberg

It looked very forlorn sitting askew in its forks, with a pair of worn-out finnesko hanging over it.

From Project Gutenberg

When Askew died in 1774 they were offered to a collector for two thousand guineas, but the price was considered too large.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• awry
• off-center