crooked

1 of 2

adjective

crook·​ed ˈkru̇-kəd 

1

: not straight

a crooked road

Your tie is crooked.

2

: dishonest

a crooked election

crooked politicians

crookedly adverb

crookedness noun

crookedness

2 of 2

noun

crook·​ed·​ness

ˈkru̇-kəd-nəs

plural -es

1

: the quality or state of being crooked

2

: dishonesty

Synonyms of crooked

Adjective

• curved
• twisted
• winding
• curving
• twisting
• serpentine

Examples of crooked in a Sentence

Adjective

a long, crooked line of people had formed in front of the ticket booth

the common belief that gambling casinos are often crooked businesses

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Warnock writes that his belief that the crooked places in America will be made straight keeps him motivated even on tough days at the Capitol. — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 15 June 2026

And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked. — Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026

Come for the cast, stay for the hatred of Neeson's crooked con. — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026

Trump walks out on Kristen Welker after calling NBC 'crooked' in fiery clash. — FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see crook entry 2

Noun

Middle English crokednesse, from croked + -nesse -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crooked

adjective

crook·​ed ˈkru̇k-əd 

1

: having bends and curves

a crooked path

2

: not set or placed straight

the picture is crooked

3

: dishonest

a crooked card game

crookedly adverb

crookedness noun