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amiss

[ uh-mis ]
/ əˈmɪs /
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adverb
out of the right or proper course, order, or condition; improperly; wrongly; astray: Did I speak amiss?
adjective (usually used predicatively)
improper; wrong; faulty: I think something is amiss in your calculations.
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Idioms about amiss

    take amiss, to be offended at or resentful of (something not meant to cause offense or resentment); misunderstand: I couldn't think of a way to present my view so that no one would take it amiss.

Origin of amiss

1200–50; Middle English amis, equivalent to a-a-1 + mis wrong. See miss1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use amiss in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amiss

amiss
/ (əˈmɪs) /

adverb
in an incorrect, inappropriate, or defective manner
take something amiss to be annoyed or offended by something
adjective
(postpositive) wrong, incorrect, or faulty

Word Origin for amiss

C13 a mis, from mis wrong; see miss 1
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with amiss

amiss

see under take the wrong way.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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