Meaning & use
something is amiss
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseformalliterary
Used to say that there seems to be a problem or that things are not as they should be.
Grammar: Amiss follows the verb: something seems amiss, not an amiss situation.
Patterns
- something is amiss
- something seems amiss
- sense that something is amiss
When the dog refused to eat, we knew something was amiss.
She felt something was amiss when the front door stood open.
The pilot reported that something was amiss with the left engine.
Common combinations
- sense something is amiss
- He sensed something was amiss in the silence.
- suspect something is amiss
- The auditors suspected something was amiss in the accounts.
- feel that something is amiss
- I felt something was amiss as soon as I walked in.
- realize something is amiss
- They realized something was amiss when the lights went out.
- nothing seems amiss
- The inspector checked the house, but nothing seemed amiss.
Synonyms and how they differ
- something is wrong
- It is the everyday, direct version and is not formal like something is amiss.
- something is off
- It is informal and suggests a mild, hard-to-explain problem.
- something is not right
- It is plain and spoken, while amiss is more literary.
- something is awry
- It is slightly more formal and suggests things have gone off course.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: something is amiss or a miss?
something is amiss vs a miss
Amiss is one word. A miss, as in a near miss, is a separate noun phrase.
Practice
The detective noticed the unlocked window and said, 'Something is ____ here.'
Choose one answer.
Amiss means wrong or out of place. A miss is a failure to hit something, and amid is a preposition meaning among.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “something is amiss”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.