agley

or a·gly

[ uh-glee, uh-gley, uh-glahy ]

/ əˈgli, əˈgleɪ, əˈglaɪ /

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adverb Chiefly Scot.

off the right line; awry; wrong.

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Origin of agley

1775–85; a-¹ + gleyglee²

Words nearby agley

Aglaia, Aglaophon of Thasos, aglare, agleam, aglet, agley, aglimmer, aglint, aglisten, aglitter, aglossia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use agley in a sentence

What a joy it is in a vexatious world, where things 'gang aft agley,' to find something absolutely right.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland|Kate Douglas Wiggin
Burns tells us that “the well-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley.”
A Raw Recruit's War Experiences|Ansel D. Nickerson
He didn't intend that any strange girl should throw all his plans agley, for she had done more than mischief enough already.
The Brass Bound Box|Evelyn Raymond
But, like the plans of the little field mouse of whom Robert Burns wrote, the best laid schemes "gang aft agley."
The Barrel Mystery|William J. (William James) Flynn

But "The best-laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft agley," as the priest-governed schemers may find to their cost.
Ireland as It Is|Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)

British Dictionary definitions for agley

agley

aglee (əˈɡliː)

/ (əˈɡleɪ, əˈɡlaɪ, əˈɡliː) /

adverb, adjective

Scot awry; askew

Word Origin for agley

from gley squint

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012