Synonyms of awry

awry 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈrī 

as in uneven

inclined or twisted to one side

the shutters that still remained on the run-down old house were all awry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• uneven
• tilted
• crooked
• oblique
• skewed
• lopsided
• askew
• tipping
• crazy
• out of plumb
• pitched
• listing
• slanted
• aslant
• off-kilter
• slanting
• cockeyed
• atilt
• distorted
• unbalanced
• asymmetrical
• slantwise
• unsymmetrical
• cock-a-hoop
• disordered
• contorted
• irregular

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straight
• even
• level
• regular
• uniform
• orderly
• balanced
• ordered
• symmetrical

awry

2 of 2

adverb

ə-ˈrī 

as in wrong

off the desired or intended path or course

their plans for an outdoor wedding went awry when they got a freak hailstorm the night before

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrong
• badly
• astray
• afield
• incorrectly
• amiss
• improperly
• inappropriately
• wrongly
• mistakenly
• inadequately
• insufficiently
• faultily
• unpromisingly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• well
• right
• perfectly
• aright
• properly
• favorably
• correctly
• rightly
• appropriately
• auspiciously
• promisingly
• suitably
• fittingly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of awry

Adjective

Cregger and co-screenwriter Shay Hatten (John Wick Chapter 4) make a running gag out of Bryan’s attempts to aid people that go nearly fatally awry, as well as his ineptitude with guns and extremely bad luck trying to shoot off padlocks. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Even before things go awry, Lee pulls over on the way to the Hattas to arrest a meth addict, Mad Dog Luke (Akira Huang), for a drug buy, forcing the cops to bring the man along with them. — Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

After Hallet dies in a misguided clinic bust care of a banishing spell gone awry, the whole Owens clan is nearly destroyed. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Instead of an alteration to mature, functional tau, quality control oversight at the site of production may be going awry in Alzheimer’s brains. — Mike McRae 03, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026

Heaping credit onto Espada is dangerous, but so is blaming him for every game that goes awry. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026

When their plan goes horribly awry, the couple is parted once again. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026

Officials for both countries said no trade deal had been reached late last Friday, with both sides pointing fingers at the other for reasons why the talks went awry. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2026

Everyone in the car already seems to sense it even before this particular ride goes awry. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026