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

Jesus’ crucifixion, in Wright’s telling, becomes yet another instance of justice gone awry. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Should something go awry, the swap would compensate the buyer. — Ellen Dimauro, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026

The palm was still there, cracked in its roots, leaning at a crazy angle, its top awry. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Set in Paris over the course of a night, the film stars Moreau and Maurice Ronet as lovers who set out to murder her husband and his boss (played by Jean Wall), only for the plan to go awry. — Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

In Spaceship Earth, when a mission to avert an imminent global cataclysm goes awry, a small band of teenagers from Earth’s past and future must join forces to confront a threat as vast and mysterious as time itself. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026

Pike’s was the third Tennessee execution in 14 months to go awry. — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

After things go awry in the Congo, the family in The Poisonwood Bible dissolves readily. — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

The Chiefs were poised to take a lead into halftime of their game Sunday against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas when things went awry. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026