Nearby Words

awry

[uh-rahy] Example Sentences Origin

a·wry

[uh-rahy]
adverb, adjective
1.
with a turn or twist to one side; askew: to glance or look awry.
2.
away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong: Our plans went awry.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English on wry. See a-1, wry
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Awry is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Example Sentences
  • This happens when Judy's elaborate plans for the best summer ever go awry, as they often do for the third-grader.
  • Ironically, his experiment goes awry and the pile of goop starts terrorizing downtown Oslo instead.
  • If he breaks out of that, then it'll be a sign that something is badly awry in the world.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
awry (əˈraɪ)
 
adv, —adj
1.  with a slant or twist to one side; askew
2.  away from the appropriate or right course; amiss
 
[C14 on wry; see a-², wry]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

awry
late 14c., "crooked, askew," from a- (1) "on" + wry (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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