astray
Americanadverb
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out of the right way; off the correct or known road, path, or route.
Despite specific instructions, they went astray and got lost.
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away from that which is right; into error, confusion, or undesirable action or thought.
They were led astray by their lust for money.
adjective
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out of the correct path or direction
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out of the right, good, or expected way; into error
Etymology
Origin of astray
1250–1300; Middle English astraye < Anglo-French *astraié, Old French estraié, past participle of estraier; see stray
Explanation
If you go astray, you lose the path. If you went to college intending to become a doctor, but instead became interested in making violent video games, your parents might feel you have gone astray. A stray animal is one that has gotten loose, and the adverb astray comes from this sense of wandering off from the proper place, even though it's not just for animals. If you go astray, you lose the right way, or are out of place. It can be a moral judgment: juvenile delinquents are kids who have gone astray. But it can also refer to small details. If you dress impeccably, you make sure that no thread is astray.
Vocabulary lists containing astray
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Persepolis
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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.
He left 15 years ago and has spent much of the time since cataloging how he thought the institution was going astray.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
As app users become even more desperate for human connection and worse at identifying what’s written by bots, they’ll be pulled toward profiles that are overtly unconventional to avoid being led astray.
From Slate • Jan. 7, 2026
Not to go all Charlie Brown here – and yes, a Peanuts-themed fireplace exists on the Interwebs – but might we introspect about these commercialist and consumerist bells and whistles leading us astray?
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025
They likely are wasting their time: the data these early birds obtain don’t provide an advantage — and may actually lead them astray.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 29, 2025
But we also have to acknowledge and understand those circumstances when rapid cognition leads us astray.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
