Standard Lemma guide

awry

adj · adv · 6 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.

  • UK, US: /əˈɹaɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /əˈɹɑɪ/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪ
  • /ˈɔː.ɹi/ nonstandard, spelling pronunciation
  • CMU ARPABET: ER0 AY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Turned or twisted toward one side; crooked, distorted, out of place; wry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The frame was awry.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wonky

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss, off course

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • There is something awry with this story.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Obliquely, crookedly; askew.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adv

Meaning 4

Perversely, improperly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

away from the correct or expected course

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • something has gone awry in our plans
  • something went badly amiss in the preparations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: amiss

Antonyms: none provided

6

adverb

Meaning 6

turned or twisted to one side

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • rugs lying askew
  • with his necktie twisted awry

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: askew, skew-whiff

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English awry, awrie. By surface analysis, a- + wry.

Across languages

Translations

86 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: крив (kriv) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Bulgarian: изкривен (izkriven) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Czech: křivý — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Finnish: vino — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Finnish: kiero — turned or twisted toward one side
  • French: de travers — turned or twisted toward one side
  • French: de guingois — turned or twisted toward one side
  • French: de traviole — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Galician: torto — turned or twisted toward one side
  • German: krumm — turned or twisted toward one side
  • German: schief — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Polish: krzywy — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Portuguese: torto — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Russian: криво́й (krivój) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Russian: искривлённый (iskrivljónnyj) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Russian: косо́й (kosój) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Russian: искажённый (iskažónnyj) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Swedish: sned — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Turkish: eğri — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Turkish: meyilli — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Ottoman Turkish: اكری (eğri) — turned or twisted toward one side
  • Bulgarian: погрешен (pogrešen) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Bulgarian: неправилен (nepravilen) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Catalan: mal — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Czech: nevydařený — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Czech: v nepořádku — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Czech: špatný — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Finnish: sopimaton — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • French: inapproprié — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Italian: distorto — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Polish: niewłaściwy — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Portuguese: distorcido — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Russian: непра́вильный (neprávilʹnyj) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Russian: неве́рный (nevérnyj) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Russian: искажённый (iskažónnyj) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Russian: превра́тный (prevrátnyj) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Turkish: eğri — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Ottoman Turkish: اكری (eğri) — wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss
  • Bulgarian: накриво (nakrivo) — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Bulgarian: косо (koso) — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Czech: nakřivo — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Czech: křivě — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Czech: šikmo — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Finnish: vinossa — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Finnish: vinoon — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Finnish: kierossa — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Finnish: kieroon — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • French: de travers — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • French: de guingois — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • French: de traviole — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: schief — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: fehlerhaft — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: falsch — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: verkehrt — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: krumm — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: verzogen — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: überkreuz — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: letz — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • German: daneben — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Northern Kurdish: xwehr — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Northern Kurdish: çewt — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Latin: oblīquus — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Polish: krzywo — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Polish: ukośnie — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Polish: na opak — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Portuguese: torto — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Portuguese: errado — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Portuguese: atravessado — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Russian: кри́во (krívo) — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Russian: ко́со (kóso) — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Russian: на́бок (nábok) — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Swedish: sned — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Swedish: på sniskan — obliquely, crookedly; askew
  • Bulgarian: неправилно (nepravilno) — perversely, improperly
  • Bulgarian: криво (krivo) — perversely, improperly
  • Czech: v nepořádku — perversely, improperly
  • Finnish: sopimattomasti — perversely, improperly
  • German: verquer — perversely, improperly
  • Polish: nieodpowiednio — perversely, improperly
  • Portuguese: inadequadamente — perversely, improperly
  • Russian: непра́вильно (neprávilʹno) — perversely, improperly
  • Russian: неве́рно (nevérno) — perversely, improperly
  • Russian: превра́тно (prevrátno) — perversely, improperly
  • Swedish: galet — perversely, improperly
  • Swedish: på tok — perversely, improperly
  • Ukrainian: хи́бно (xýbno) — perversely, improperly