askew
adverb or adjective
ə-ˈskyü 
: out of line : at an angle
The picture hung askew.
askewness noun
Did you know?
Askew was formed simply by attaching the prefix a- (meaning "in [such] a state or condition") to skew. The latter comes from Anglo-French eschiver, meaning "to escape or avoid."
Synonyms
- aslant
- atilt
- awry
- cock-a-hoop
- cockeyed
- crazy
- crooked
- listing
- lopsided
- oblique
- off-kilter
- pitched
- skewed
- slanted
- slanting
- slantwise
- tilted
- tipping
- uneven
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Bathtub paint is peeling off, the windows don’t close properly, and the closet door hangs askew, to name just a few of the repairs the family has asked the landlord to make in recent months. 
Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2022 Glazed legs slightly askew, and ringlets of blond, chestnut, ebony, and russet. The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 On a recent day, the traffic was so light that no one really noticed when a car accidentally backed into the barrel, setting one of the signs askew. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 May 2022 Seven of Nine) travel back to Earth in 2024 to prevent the timeline from going hopelessly askew. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2022 Nearby, the remnants of a red taillight sat askew near the sidewalk while a license plate lay in the street. Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2022 If there are tree branches askew across a path, it’s probably not the right one. Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 July 2021 The black Toyota’s right front end appeared to be badly damaged from being jammed into a vehicle in front of it; its windshield was partially shattered, the hood crumpled up and its two front tires askew. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 10 June 2021 Leaning into the microphone, tie slightly askew, Dr. Tobin used his hands and elbows to demonstrate how people breathe. New York Times, 8 Apr. 2021 See More
Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2022 Glazed legs slightly askew, and ringlets of blond, chestnut, ebony, and russet. The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 On a recent day, the traffic was so light that no one really noticed when a car accidentally backed into the barrel, setting one of the signs askew. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 May 2022 Seven of Nine) travel back to Earth in 2024 to prevent the timeline from going hopelessly askew. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2022 Nearby, the remnants of a red taillight sat askew near the sidewalk while a license plate lay in the street. Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2022 If there are tree branches askew across a path, it’s probably not the right one. Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 July 2021 The black Toyota’s right front end appeared to be badly damaged from being jammed into a vehicle in front of it; its windshield was partially shattered, the hood crumpled up and its two front tires askew. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 10 June 2021 Leaning into the microphone, tie slightly askew, Dr. Tobin used his hands and elbows to demonstrate how people breathe. New York Times, 8 Apr. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
probably from a- entry 1 + skew
First Known Use
1552, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
askew
adverb or adjective
ə-ˈskyü
: not straight : at an angle
Harry fell backward, his glasses askew … J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fireaskew
adjective
as in tilted
inclined or twisted to one side his hat was askew because of the wind Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- tilted
- crooked
- uneven
- oblique
- awry
- skewed
- lopsided
- tipping
- aslant
- slanted
- slanting
- atilt
- cockeyed
- slantwise
- distorted
- off-kilter
- pitched
- listing
- crazy
- unbalanced
- asymmetrical
- unsymmetrical
- out of plumb
- off plumb
- contorted
- disordered
- cock-a-hoop
- irregular
- asymmetric
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- straight
- even
- uniform
- level
- orderly
- regular
- balanced
- symmetrical
- symmetric
- ordered