Meanings
adverbawry (comparative more awry, superlative most awry)
comparative more awry · superlative most awry
- Perversely, improperly.
adjectiveawry (comparative more awry, superlative most awry)
comparative more awry · superlative most awry
- figurativelyWrong or distorted; perverse, amiss, off course
There is something awry with this story.
1 more example
It came inside 50 minutes and moments later Cavani should have had a 12th. Pogba and Shaw combined before the left-back’s cross teed up the striker but his radar was awry.
2021 April 29, Jamie Jackson, “Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes help Manchester United hit Roma for six”, in The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveTurned or twisted toward one side; crooked, distorted, out of place; wry.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot functioning properly
adverbaway from the correct or expected course
Similar
adverbturned or twisted to one side
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishawry
- Englishawry
From Middle English awry, awrie. By surface analysis, a- + wry.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian накриво, косо
- накриво (nakrivo)obliquely, crookedly; askew
- косо (koso)obliquely, crookedly; askew
- неправилно (nepravilno)perversely, improperly
- криво (krivo)perversely, improperly
- крив (kriv)turned or twisted toward one side
- изкривен (izkriven)turned or twisted toward one side
- погрешен (pogrešen)wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- неправилен (nepravilen)wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Catalan mal
- malwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Czech nakřivo, křivě
- nakřivoobliquely, crookedly; askew
- křivěobliquely, crookedly; askew
- šikmoobliquely, crookedly; askew
- v nepořádkuperversely, improperly
- křivýturned or twisted toward one side
- nevydařenýwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- v nepořádkuwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- špatnýwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Finnish vinossa, vinoon
- vinossaobliquely, crookedly; askew
- vinoonobliquely, crookedly; askew
- kierossaobliquely, crookedly; askew
- kieroonobliquely, crookedly; askew
- sopimattomastiperversely, improperly
- vinoturned or twisted toward one side
- kieroturned or twisted toward one side
- sopimatonwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
French de travers, de guingois
- de traversobliquely, crookedly; askew
- de guingoisobliquely, crookedly; askew
- de travioleobliquely, crookedly; askew
- de traversturned or twisted toward one side
- de guingoisturned or twisted toward one side
- de travioleturned or twisted toward one side
- inappropriéwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
German schief, fehlerhaft
- schiefobliquely, crookedly; askew
- fehlerhaftobliquely, crookedly; askew
- falschobliquely, crookedly; askew
- verkehrtobliquely, crookedly; askew
- krummobliquely, crookedly; askew
- verzogenobliquely, crookedly; askew
- überkreuzobliquely, crookedly; askew
- letzobliquely, crookedly; askew
- danebenobliquely, crookedly; askew
- verquerperversely, improperly
- krummturned or twisted toward one side
- schiefturned or twisted toward one side
Italian distorto
- distortowrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Latin oblīquus
- oblīquusobliquely, crookedly; askew
Polish krzywo, ukośnie
- krzywoobliquely, crookedly; askew
- ukośnieobliquely, crookedly; askew
- na opakobliquely, crookedly; askew
- niewłaściwieperversely, improperly
- nieodpowiednioperversely, improperly
- krzywyturned or twisted toward one side
- niewłaściwywrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- nieodpowiedniwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Portuguese torto, errado
- tortoobliquely, crookedly; askew
- erradoobliquely, crookedly; askew
- atravessadoobliquely, crookedly; askew
- inadequadamenteperversely, improperly
- tortoturned or twisted toward one side
- distorcidowrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Russian кри́во, ко́со
- кри́во (krívo)obliquely, crookedly; askew
- ко́со (kóso)obliquely, crookedly; askew
- на́бок (nábok)obliquely, crookedly; askew
- непра́вильно (neprávilʹno)perversely, improperly
- неве́рно (nevérno)perversely, improperly
- превра́тно (prevrátno)perversely, improperly
- криво́й (krivój)turned or twisted toward one side
- искривлённый (iskrivljónnyj)turned or twisted toward one side
- косо́й (kosój)turned or twisted toward one side
- искажённый (iskažónnyj)turned or twisted toward one side
- непра́вильный (neprávilʹnyj)wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- неве́рный (nevérnyj)wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- искажённый (iskažónnyj)wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
- превра́тный (prevrátnyj)wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Swedish sned, på sniskan
- snedobliquely, crookedly; askew
- på sniskanobliquely, crookedly; askew
- galetperversely, improperly
- på tokperversely, improperly
- snedturned or twisted toward one side
Turkish eğri, meyilli
- eğriturned or twisted toward one side
- meyilliturned or twisted toward one side
- eğriwrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
Ukrainian хи́бно
- хи́бно (xýbno)perversely, improperly
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with awry
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
awry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awry
MLA
“awry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awry. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “awry,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awry.
Source: awry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.