crooked
Americanadjective
-
not straight; bending; curved.
a crooked path.
-
The picture on the wall seems to be crooked.
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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
- crookedly adverb
- crookedness noun
- uncrooked adjective
- uncrookedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of crooked
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English croked; crook 1, -ed 2
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 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
If your pelvis sits at an angle—maybe because your legs are different lengths, maybe because you have scoliosis—the midline of the buttocks can tilt, and, boom, a crooked crack.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
Perhaps the show’s final number can shed light: “God draws straight, but with crooked lines.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
In late August, a TikTok featuring an eccentric, over-the-top British man with a black bob and crooked teeth went viral.
From Salon • Dec. 26, 2025
From the one photo I had of them, I knew I’d inherited my father’s straight nose and my mother’s crooked smile.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
