askance
Americanadverb
-
with suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval.
He looked askance at my offer.
- Synonyms:
- suspiciously, skeptically
-
with a side glance; sidewise; obliquely.
adverb
-
with an oblique glance
-
with doubt or mistrust
Etymology
Origin of askance
First recorded in 1520–30; earlier a scanche, a sca(u)nce; of obscure origin
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.
For instance, if you took the standard deduction last year and itemized your deductions this year, the IRS would not look askance.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
An acquisition of BHP’s petroleum business was cheered by investors, though they looked askance at the company’s decision to invest in a low-carbon ammonia project in Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
The rest of the world looks askance at what we have done, and they, too, will pay a price.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2025
If there were any branch that would look askance at “Barbie” for being about a toy, it’s this one.
From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2024
They did not look askance at the attic hatch, but that was no guarantee that next time things would proceed along the same lines.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
