Standard Lemma guide

astray

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /əˈstɹeɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪ
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 S T R EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Away from the proper path; in a wrong or unknown direction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Away from what is right and good; into error or evil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

away from the right path or direction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was led astray

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

far from the intended target

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the arrow went wide of the mark
  • a bullet went astray and killed a bystander

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wide

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English astraien or by apheresis straien, from Old French estraier (“to stray”), from late Medieval Latin extravagari (“to wander beyond”), from Latin extra (“beyond”) + vagārī (“to wander, stray”).

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بِضَلَال (biḍalāl) — in a wrong direction
  • Arabic: عَلَى ضَلَال (ʕalā ḍalāl) — in a wrong direction
  • Arabic: ضَالًّا (ḍāllan) — in a wrong direction
  • Catalan: desencaminadament — in a wrong direction
  • Cherokee: ᎤᎴᎾᎯᏛ (ulenahidv) — in a wrong direction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 迷途地 — in a wrong direction
  • Czech: s cesty — in a wrong direction
  • Czech: na scestí — in a wrong direction
  • Dutch: op een dwaalspoor — in a wrong direction
  • Finnish: harhaan — in a wrong direction
  • German: in die Irre — in a wrong direction
  • Icelandic: villtur — in a wrong direction
  • Indonesian: tersesat — in a wrong direction
  • Indonesian: tersasar — in a wrong direction
  • Irish: ar seachrán — in a wrong direction
  • Italian: fuori dalla retta via — in a wrong direction
  • Italian: sviato — in a wrong direction
  • Italian: fuori strada — in a wrong direction
  • Italian: traviato — in a wrong direction
  • Japanese: 道に迷って — in a wrong direction
  • Latin: errāns — in a wrong direction
  • Latin: pālāns — in a wrong direction
  • Russian: заблуди́вшись (zabludívšisʹ) — in a wrong direction
  • Russian: сби́вшись с пути́ (sbívšisʹ s putí) — in a wrong direction
  • Scottish Gaelic: air seachran — in a wrong direction
  • Scottish Gaelic: air iomrall — in a wrong direction
  • Spanish: perdido — in a wrong direction
  • Spanish: extraviado — in a wrong direction
  • Swedish: vilse — in a wrong direction
  • Swedish: på villovägar — in a wrong direction
  • Turkish: kötü/yanlış yola — in a wrong direction