Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality or state of being crooked: This refers to the physical condition of not being straight, having curves, bends, or angles.
   • Deceitfulness; lack of honesty or straightforwardness: This refers to a figurative, moral quality of being dishonest, underhanded, or not direct.

Examples of Usage

• Physical crookedness:
  • The crookedness of the old tree's branches made it difficult to climb.
  • The carpenter measured the crookedness of the board before planing it straight.
• Moral crookedness:
  • The politician's crookedness was finally exposed by the investigation.
  • I was shocked by the sheer crookedness of the scheme.

Advanced Usage

• "A mind of moral crookedness": This phrase emphasizes a deeply ingrained tendency toward dishonesty.
  • The fraud was not a simple mistake but the product of a mind of moral crookedness.

Variants and Related Words

• Crooked (adj): Not straight; bent or curved. Also, dishonest.
  • a crooked path (a winding path)
  • a crooked dealer (a dishonest dealer)
• Crook (n): A bend or curve. Also, a dishonest person or criminal.
  • She carried the bag in the crook of her arm.
  • The police arrested the crook.

Synonyms

• For physical crookedness: curvature, bend, twist, tortuousness, contortion.
• For moral crookedness: dishonesty, deceitfulness, underhandedness, deviousness, corruption.

Related Phrases

• "The straight and narrow": This common idiom, meaning the honest and morally correct way of life, is often contrasted with the concept of "crookedness."
  • After his release from prison, he tried to stay on the straight and narrow.

Notes on Different Meanings

The word crookedness clearly separates into two distinct meanings: 1. A literal, physical description of shape (e.g., a road's crookedness). 2. A figurative, moral judgment on character or action (e.g., a person's crookedness). The context of the sentence always makes it clear which meaning is intended.

Noun

1. the quality of being deceitful and underhanded
2. having or distinguished by crooks or curves or bends or angles
3. a tortuous and twisted shape or position
   • they built a tree house in the tortuosities of its boughs
   • the acrobat performed incredible contortions