askew

/əs'kju:/

Thân thiện

His hat sat askew on his head after the windy walk.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Not straight or level; tilted, crooked, or slanted to one side: Describes something that is not positioned correctly or symmetrically, often implying a slight or accidental misalignment.
   • Out of order; awry: Can describe a situation or arrangement that is disordered or has gone wrong.

2. Adverb:

   • At an angle; not in a straight or level position: Describes the manner in which something is positioned or placed, indicating it is tilted or slanted.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • After the earthquake, all the pictures on the wall were askew.
  • He walked in with his hat askew and a big smile on his face.

• Adverb:

  • The sign was hanging askew, making it difficult to read.
  • She placed the vase askew on the shelf, creating a more casual look.

Advanced Usage

• "To look askew at (someone/something)": To look at someone or something with disapproval, suspicion, or a critical eye.

  • The conservative members of the committee looked askew at the radical proposal.

• "To go askew": For a plan or situation to go wrong or become disordered.

  • The entire schedule went askew when the keynote speaker was delayed.

Variants and Related Words

• Awry (adj/adv): Similar in meaning, often used to describe something that has gone wrong or is off course, as well as being crooked.

  • My plans for the day went completely awry.

• Skew-whiff (adj, informal, chiefly British): Crooked or askew.

  • He tried to fix the shelf, but it's still a bit skew-whiff.

Synonyms

• Crooked: Not straight; bent or twisted out of shape.
• Lopsided: With one side lower or smaller than the other.
• Tilted: Sloped or inclined at an angle.
• Slanted: At an angle from a horizontal or vertical line.

Antonyms

• Straight: Extending uniformly in one direction without a curve or bend.
• Level: Having a flat, even surface; not tilted.
• Aligned: Arranged in a straight line or correct relative position.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• All askew: Completely disordered or out of alignment.
  • The room was left all askew after the frantic search for the missing keys.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. turned or twisted toward one side
   • a...youth with a gorgeous red necktie all awry- G.K.Chesterton
   • his wig was, as the British say, skew-whiff

Adverb

1. turned or twisted to one side
   • rugs lying askew
   • with his necktie twisted awry

Từ đồng nghĩa

• awry
• cockeyed
• lopsided
• wonky
• skew-whiff
• awry