crooked
Americanadjective
-
not straight; bending; curved.
a crooked path.
-
The picture on the wall seems to be crooked.
-
a man with a crooked back.
- Synonyms:
- misshapen
-
not straightforward; dishonest.
- Synonyms:
- fraudulent, deceitful, knavish, unscrupulous
-
bent and often raised or moved to one side, as a finger or neck.
-
(of a coin) polygonal.
a crooked sixpence.
adjective
-
bent, angled or winding
-
set at an angle; not straight
-
deformed or contorted
-
informal dishonest or illegal
-
informal hostile or averse to
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crooked
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English croked; see crook 1, -ed 2
Explanation
Something crooked is not straight, like a trail through the woods, or your cousin's unfortunate set of teeth. Crook is a Middle English verb meaning "bend," which comes from the Norse for hook. So crooked means "bent out of shape or curving around sharply." A picture hanging diagonally on the wall is crooked, and so is a hunchback's spine. We also use crooked metaphorically to talk about being bent out of moral shape, so to speak. A crooked politician is dishonest and takes bribes, and crooked businessmen steal from unsuspecting clients.
Vocabulary lists containing crooked
Words from Shakespearean Insults
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"The Jacket"
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Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech
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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 often stood crooked or perched on things to avoid sticking out.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
He successfully lobbied for laws in the U.S., the U.K. and European Union that provide financial sanctions against crooked foreign officials and human rights violators.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
My cheeks are crooked because I had something called a pilonidal cyst in my early 20s.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
His exploits inspired Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning turn as a crooked L.A. detective in the film “Training Day,” according to IMDb.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026
I stay low to the ground, sneak along the back of Mrs. Jones’s yard until I reach the rear of Dad’s and climb the three crooked cement steps to the door.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
