askew
Americanadverb
-
to one side; out of line; in a crooked position; awry.
to wear one's hat askew;
to hang a picture askew.
-
with disapproval, scorn, contempt, etc.; disdainfully.
They looked askew at the painting.
adjective
adverb
Usage
Spelling tips for askew The spelling of askew shouldn’t be confused with the somewhat similar sounding word eschew. How to spell askew: Think of askew as a combination of the adjective-forming prefix a- and the verb skew (adjectives like asleep and ablaze are formed in the same way). Or pretend that someone asks you if a picture frame is askew, and that you respond really rudely: “Do you even have to ask? Ew.”
Other Word Forms
- askewness noun
Etymology
Origin of askew
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are a number of other reasons someone might look askew from the back view.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
“As a regulator, in some ways you never have enough people, but the supply and demand curve is getting a little askew here.”
From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026
“Please Donald Trump, I need your help,” he said, wearing a flag pin askew and seated awkwardly in an armchair.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
Young Andrew, by contrast, looked a bit of a scapegrace, tie askew.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025
He saw her lips twitch at the picture of the funny face she’d been making in the antiques store—glasses askew, mouth contorted into a grimace, nostrils flaring.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
