AMISS Synonyms: 211 Similar and Opposite Words

amiss 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of amiss

as in defective

having a fault that engine noise indicates that something is clearly amiss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wrong

not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation official recognition would not be amiss after that spectacular effort

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

amiss

2 of 2

adverb

ə-ˈmis

as in incorrectly

in a mistaken or inappropriate way I hope that my suggestion that you might be more comfortable in a larger chair was not taken amiss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awry

off the desired or intended path or course the reenactment of the Wright Brothers' first flight went amiss when the wind died on the makeshift runway and the plane stopped short in a mud puddle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of amiss

Adjective

Its relevance was just too important to go amiss. — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 So when the dashboard lights flashed, warning that something was amiss under the hood, my husband and I were both surprised. — Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 18 June 2026

Adverb

The whole incident -- from realizing something was going amiss to hitting the water -- only lasted one or two minutes. — Leah Asmelash, CNN, 21 Aug. 2019 This connectivity can provide a sense of brain organization, and there's a growing body of evidence that this organization goes amiss in those with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, 12 Apr. 2018 See All Example Sentences for amiss

Recent Examples of Synonyms for amiss

Adjective

Avila's family sued Tesla last week, alleging her death resulted from the company's gross negligence and failure to warn consumers that its self-driving systems were defective.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Warranty costs are the expenses an automaker incurs to cover repairs, replacements and other costs for defective parts or workmanship under a certain period of time or miles driven after customers purchase a new vehicle.

— Michael Wayland, CNBC, 3 July 2026

Definition of defective

Adverb

In 2021, then-F1 race director Michael Masi incorrectly applied the rules around such a situation and did not let all lapped runners overtake.

— Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Mistakes to Avoid While baking soda is an effective way to kill stubborn garden weeds, using this technique incorrectly can hurt your garden instead of help it.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 4 July 2026

Definition of incorrectly

Adverb

Schumer badly misread the Democratic electorate and tried to clear the field for his preferred candidate, Maine’s 78-year-old governor, Janet Mills, leaving a vacuum that Platner filled.

— Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Industrial policy fails not only when badly designed at the top.

— Nili Gilbert, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of badly

Adjective

Despite concerns that California’s costs and regulations are bad for business, the state has attracted an unprecedented pile of capital this year, and no other state is even close.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
The Giants are now 39-54 this season, two games up on Colorado (38-57) for the worst record in the NL and second-worst in MLB.

— Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 10 July 2026

Definition of bad

Adjective

In 2024, Air Canada's AI agent gave a passenger incorrect information about bereavement fares.

— Stu Sjouwerman, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Even though talks with the Boston Red Sox at last year’s deadline never got close, the confusion provided by an incorrect tweet announcing Ryan’s trade to New England put the pitcher at the top of every trade list before the season even began.

— Dan Hayes, New York Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of incorrect

Adverb

Owens has noted that many people, including Pasadena natives, mistakenly point to Armand Hammer’s former estate on the same street, which burned down in 2005, as the Batman house.

— David Hochman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Perhaps only one runner would have been on base — Tatis, via a pitch off his backside — but Cabrera mistakenly threw to second after looking Tatis back to second on Merrill’s tapper back to the mound.

— Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of mistakenly

Adjective

Baby carrots aren't just a marketing gimmick or a way to get kids to eat their vegetables—they were originally developed as a way to make good use of misshapen or imperfect carrots.

— Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 6 July 2026
That enabled Atlas to run through the same actions millions of times in parallel across cloud GPUs, learning to adapt to imperfect conditions until the behavior held up reliably.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 5 July 2026

Definition of imperfect

Cite this Entry

Style

“Amiss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amiss. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of amiss

adjective

adverb

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