awry
Americanadverb
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with a turn or twist to one side; askew.
to glance or look awry.
-
away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong.
Our plans went awry.
adverb
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with a slant or twist to one side; askew
-
away from the appropriate or right course; amiss
Etymology
Origin of awry
First recorded in 1325–75, awry is from Middle English on wry. See a- 1, wry
Explanation
When something goes wrong with a decent plan, you say it has gone awry. Losing your backpack is a mistake, but when you realize it contained your ticket and your passport, your vacation plans really go awry. Wry means "twisted" — so going awry means getting "twisted up." Awry is similar to askew, which means "off, out of line." Though when you compare the roots skew, "turned at an angle" and wry, "twisted," you see the subtle difference between the two words.
Vocabulary lists containing awry
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Four
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"Is Survival Selfish?" Vocabulary from the argument
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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.
"I want to see it rival other apps because I think we have gone awry," he said in an interview a few weeks before the public launch.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Minnie Driver’s Paris adventures went awry this week when she was involved in a car accident that she’s describing as a frightening close call.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Testers at the AI Security Institute didn’t expect the Anthropic and OpenAI models to go rogue but realized that something had gone awry when they received a strange alert the morning of July 28.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
This way, if something goes awry, someone else at your company can vouch that you were receiving no guidance or support from your manager.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Lena appeared in the doorway, dressed in a bathrobe, hair awry.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
