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Meaning & use

askew

adverb, adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/əˈskjuː/
US/əˈskjuː/

Meanings

  1. adverbnot comparable

    Not in a straight or level position; turned or tilted to one side.

    Grammar: Follows the verb or object: the picture hung askew.

    Patterns

    • hang askew
    • sit askew
    • set something askew

    The picture on the wall was hanging askew.

    His tie sat askew after the long day.

    She wore her hat askew and grinned.

  2. adjectiveafter a verb

    Crooked or tilted and not as it should be; also, wrong or not working as planned.

    Grammar: Used after be or go: the plan went askew.

    Patterns

    • go askew
    • be askew

    Her glasses were askew after the fall.

    Something is askew in the accounts, and I can't find it.

    The fence post was slightly askew.

Common combinations

hang askew
The curtains hang askew from the rail.
sit askew
His cap sat askew on his head.
go askew
Our travel plans went askew when the flight was canceled.
look askew
The shelves look askew in this light.
glance askew
She gave a quick glance askew and kept walking.
slightly askew
The lampshade was slightly askew.

Synonyms and how they differ

crooked
Crooked describes something bent or not straight in shape, while askew usually means shifted out of position.
lopsided
Lopsided means that one side is higher, heavier or bigger than the other, which differs from simply being turned.
awry
Awry is more often used for plans that go wrong, while askew is mostly about physical position.
off-center
Off-center says that something is not in the middle, not that it is tilted.

Opposites

straightlevel

Word family

skew verb
to make something biased or turned to one side
skewed adjective
distorted or biased
skewer noun
a long pin for holding food while cooking
skewness noun
a measure of lack of symmetry in data

Commonly confused: askew or awry? askew or ask?

askew vs awry

Awry means wrong or off course, usually of plans, while askew means tilted out of line.

askew vs ask

Ask starts the same way, but askew has an unrelated meaning and is pronounced with a long 'oo' ending.

Practice

After the strong wind, the street sign was _____.

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