awry 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈrī How to pronounce awry (audio)
Definition of awrynext
as in uneven
inclined or twisted to one side the shutters that still remained on the run-down old house were all awry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

awry

2 of 2

adverb

ə-ˈrī How to pronounce awry (audio)
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

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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 awry
Adjective
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 The failed effort to kill Christa Pike has placed a harsh spotlight on the practice of capital punishment in America, one of 17 countries to carry out an execution last year, as well as the regularity with which those executions go awry. — New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awry
  1. uneven
  2. wrong
  3. tilted
  4. badly
  5. crooked
  6. oblique
Adjective
  • Rising case rates in women under 50, new federal rules on breast density notification and the uneven rollout of 3D mammography are reshaping when and how women get screened.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Grass, uneven ground, tiny puddles, and random objects can become major obstacles when the machine is barely taller than them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of uneven
Adverb
  • Miami and Cleveland are among the teams currently navigating the fallout of getting that decision wrong.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Julian is never seen as a bad person, but one who genuinely likes and is attracted to Tessa, thus his failure to recognize doing anything wrong that night.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • The tilted surfaces were mostly chosen to mimic raindrops in the real world.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But analysts say risks to oil prices remain tilted to the upside.
    — , CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tilted
Adverb
  • The Anthropic report is the latest warning issued by the company concerning rogue AI agents operating on their own and sometimes behaving badly.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Although the house is still standing, the interior was left so badly damaged that the family can no longer live there.
    — Joan Murray, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of badly
Adjective
  • Others convicted in relation to the robbery included Brian Reader, a career criminal who was involved in other high-profile robberies before and after Brink’s-Mat, crooked solicitor Michael Relton, and McAvoy’s wife, Kathleen.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • For now, the crooked finger stays, and so does the jumper that comes with it.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • At best, the invitation to become a white-leader draws an oblique link between white paint and the discourse of racial discrimination.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Reaves missed those games — and his shot at his first All-NBA and All-Star selections — because of right groin soreness in November, a left calf strain in December and January, and a left oblique strain in April.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of oblique

Browse Nearby Words

AWOL
awry
aw-shucks
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Cite this Entry

“Awry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awry. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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