askew

[ uh-skyoo ]

/ əˈskyu /

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See synonyms for askew on Thesaurus.com

adverb

to one side; out of line; in a crooked position; awry: to wear one's hat askew;to hang a picture askew.

with disapproval, scorn, contempt, etc.; disdainfully: They looked askew at the painting.

adjective

crooked; awry: Your clothes are all askew.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of askew

First recorded in 1565–75; a-¹ + skew

OTHER WORDS FROM askew

a·skew·ness, noun

Words nearby askew

askance, Ask, and it shall be given you, askarel, askari, ask a stupid question and you'll get a stupid answer, askew, Askey, ask for, ask for the moon, asking bid, asking price

How to use askew in a sentence

One popular theory holds that Jupiter and Saturn shifted in their orbits billions of years ago, a reshuffling that knocked the orbits of distant comets askew and send them careening into the inner solar system.
Planets with many neighbors may be the best places to look for life|Lisa Grossman|November 16, 2020|Science News
However, like many things in Japan, the statistics and the reality are always slightly askew.
Where Have Japan’s Yakuza Gone?|Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That Byron himself had been raised a Scotsman and a Calvinist placed him from birth slightly askew from the ruling British elite.
Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy|Michael Weiss|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stuck on the wall behind the judge was a sheet of paper, slightly askew, with this word in neat black letters: “NORTH.”
The Sedition Files: How an Indian Cartoonist Becomes a Criminal|Dilip D’Souza|September 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

“Beside me the young Brit was snoring softly now, his glasses askew on his fin-shaped nose,” Obama wrote.
America's New Frenemy|Lloyd Grove|July 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Wearing a dark blazer and a slightly askew lavender tie, he could have passed for a young Tom Cruise.
The Burglar Bunch Goes to Court|Nicole LaPorte|December 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She was a woman of too much natural and acquired poise to remain askew under any shock.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Ivan Afanasiitch stood still a moment, groped after his cap, put it on askew, and went out without closing his mouth.
A Desperate Character and Other Stories|Ivan Turgenev
To one side a great metal cylinder lay askew a heap of rubbish.
The Jewels of Aptor|Samuel R. Delany
It looked very forlorn sitting askew in its forks, with a pair of worn-out finnesko hanging over it.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
When Askew died in 1774 they were offered to a collector for two thousand guineas, but the price was considered too large.
Prices of Books|Henry B. Wheatley

British Dictionary definitions for askew

askew

/ (əˈskjuː) /

adverb, adjective

at an oblique angle; towards one side; awry

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

askew

Origin of askew

OTHER WORDS FROM askew

Words nearby askew

Words related to askew

How to use askew in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for askew