awry
Americanadverb
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with a turn or twist to one side; askew.
to glance or look awry.
-
away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong.
Our plans went awry.
adverb
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with a slant or twist to one side; askew
-
away from the appropriate or right course; amiss
Etymology
Origin of awry
First recorded in 1325–75, awry is from Middle English on wry. See a- 1, wry
Explanation
When something goes wrong with a decent plan, you say it has gone awry. Losing your backpack is a mistake, but when you realize it contained your ticket and your passport, your vacation plans really go awry. Wry means "twisted" — so going awry means getting "twisted up." Awry is similar to askew, which means "off, out of line." Though when you compare the roots skew, "turned at an angle" and wry, "twisted," you see the subtle difference between the two words.
Vocabulary lists containing awry
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Four
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"Is Survival Selfish?" Vocabulary from the argument
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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.
Awry: There are many stages of work between full-on employment and total retirement.
From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2021
Last night, Peter Winkler, a Dartmouth mathematician and author of two math puzzle books, gave a talk, “Intuition Gone Awry: Puzzles to S-T-R-E-T-C-H Your Mind,” at Baruch College.
From Scientific American • Jul. 19, 2012
Awry Most good horror movies are rich with subtext.
From New York Times • May 25, 2012
Awry, oblique; as a skew bridge, skew angle, &c.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
This castle commanded a view of two other castles, owned and inhabited by two sons or two brothers of this Harry Awry O'Neil.
From The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through Ireland by McDougall, Margaret Moran Dixon
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.
