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

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

But when a work emergency forces Daisy’s father and Celeste’s ex-husband (Jacob Scipio) to drop her off unexpectedly, their reunion coincides with a nearby military experiment going catastrophically awry. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 1 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

To this day, conspiracy theories alleging that Jonestown was a CIA mind-control experiment gone awry find favor across the internet. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

ProPublica reconstructed how the project went awry through interviews with 36 current and former employees of General Dynamics, the Army, the Pentagon and the White House. — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026