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align

or a·line

[uh-lahyn]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to arrange in a straight line; adjust according to a line.
  2. to bring into a line or alignment.
  3. to bring into cooperation or agreement with a particular group, party, cause, etc.: He aligned himself with the liberals.
  4. to adjust (two or more components of an electronic circuit) to improve the response over a frequency band, as to align the tuned circuits of a radio receiver for proper tracking throughout its frequency range, or a television receiver for appropriate wide-band responses.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to fall or come into line; be in line.
  2. to join with others in a cause.
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Origin of align

1685–95; < French aligner, equivalent to a- a-5 + ligner < Latin līneāre, derivative of līnea line1
Related formsa·lign·er, nounre·a·lign, verbself-a·lign·ing, adjectiveun·a·ligned, adjective

Synonyms

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1, 2. straighten.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

lumpyasymmetricalellipticaljaggedcraggyunbalanceddisinterestedevenhandedfair-mindeduninvolvedunbiaseduncommittedinactiveundecidednonalignedindifferentnonpartisanimpartialdispassionateinert

Examples from the Web for unaligned

Historical Examples

  • "Are you sure——" the robot began, and then the voice was replaced by the humming sound of an internal clashing of unaligned gears.

    Starman's Quest

    Robert Silverberg

British Dictionary definitions for unaligned

align

verb
  1. to place or become placed in a line
  2. to bring (components or parts, such as the wheels of a car) into proper or desirable coordination or relation
  3. (tr usually foll by with) to bring (a person, country, etc) into agreement or cooperation with the policy, etc of another person or group
  4. (tr) psychol to integrate or harmonize the aims, practices, etc of a group
  5. (usually foll by with) psychol to identify with or match the behaviour, thoughts, etc of another person
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Word Origin

C17: from Old French aligner, from à ligne into line
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unaligned

align

v.

early 15c., "to copulate" (of wolves, dogs), literally "to range (things) in a line," from Middle French aligner, from Old French alignier "set, lay in line," from à "to" (see ad-) + lignier "to line," from Latin lineare, from linea (see line (n.)). Transitive or reflective sense of "to fall into line" is from 1853. International political sense is attested from 1934. No justification for the French spelling, and aline was an early native form. Related: Aligned; aligning.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper