askew

[ uh-skyoo ]

adverb

1. to one side; out of line; in a crooked position; awry:

   to wear one's hat askew;

   to hang a picture askew.

2. with disapproval, scorn, contempt, etc.; disdainfully:

   They looked askew at the painting.

adjective

1. crooked; awry:

   Your clothes are all askew.

askew

/ əˈskjuː /

adverb

1. at an oblique angle; towards one side; awry

Other Words From

• a·skewness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of askew¹

First recorded in 1565–75; a- ¹ + skew

Example Sentences

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.

From Science News

However, like many things in Japan, the statistics and the reality are always slightly askew.

From The Daily Beast

That Byron himself had been raised a Scotsman and a Calvinist placed him from birth slightly askew from the ruling British elite.

From The Daily Beast

Stuck on the wall behind the judge was a sheet of paper, slightly askew, with this word in neat black letters: “NORTH.”

From The Daily Beast

“Beside me the young Brit was snoring softly now, his glasses askew on his fin-shaped nose,” Obama wrote.

From The Daily Beast

Wearing a dark blazer and a slightly askew lavender tie, he could have passed for a young Tom Cruise.

From The Daily Beast

She was a woman of too much natural and acquired poise to remain askew under any shock.

From Project Gutenberg

Ivan Afanasiitch stood still a moment, groped after his cap, put it on askew, and went out without closing his mouth.

From Project Gutenberg

To one side a great metal cylinder lay askew a heap of rubbish.

From Project Gutenberg

It looked very forlorn sitting askew in its forks, with a pair of worn-out finnesko hanging over it.

From Project Gutenberg

When Askew died in 1774 they were offered to a collector for two thousand guineas, but the price was considered too large.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• awry
• off-center

How Do You Spell Askew?

Spelling tips for askew

The spelling of askew shouldn’t be confused with the somewhat similar sounding word eschew. 

How to spell askew: Think of askew as a combination of the adjective-forming prefix a– and the verb skew (adjectives like asleep and ablaze are formed in the same way). Or pretend that someone asks you if a picture frame is askew, and that you respond really rudely: “Do you even have to ask? Ew.”