crookedly

IPA/ˈkrʊkɪdli/
IPA/ˈkrʊkɪdli/

crookedly — adverb

1. bending, slanting, or sitting at an angle rather than being even or straight

1.adverbB2
Definition

bending, slanting, or sitting at an angle rather than being even or straight

Example

The old picture frame hung crookedly above Asher's wooden desk.

hang + crookedly: describing something at a slant

Soraya smiled crookedly, with one corner of her mouth higher than the other.

verb + crookedly for a lopsided action

Common collocations
  • hang crookedly
  • smile crookedly
  • sit crookedly
  • grow crookedly
Synonyms
  • askew

    more formal; usually predicative (hung askew)

  • lopsidedly

    stresses that one side is lower or larger than the other

  • slantwise

    rare; emphasises a diagonal direction

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

hang/sit/lean + crookedly

verb + crookedly

Usage Note

Most often modifies verbs of position or posture (hang, sit, lean, smile, grow). The subject is usually a physical object or a body part rather than a person's character.

Common Mistakes

a crookedly fence
a crooked fence' / 'the fence leaned crookedly
'crookedly' is an adverb, so it modifies a verb, not a noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four describe something that is not straight or level, but they differ in tone and use. 'Crookedly' is the most everyday choice and freely modifies a verb of position or movement: a picture hangs crookedly, a road runs crookedly. 'Askew' is slightly more formal and is usually used after the verb to describe a finished position — a hat sits askew, a frame hangs askew — and rarely describes movement. 'Lopsidedly' is narrower: it stresses that one side is lower, heavier, or larger than the other, as in a lopsidedly loaded cart or a lopsided smile. 'Slantwise' is rare and literary, emphasising a clear diagonal direction. For ordinary writing, 'crookedly' is almost always the safe pick: the wind blew the sapling so that it grew crookedly toward the wall.

crookedly ↗askewlopsidedlyslantwise ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • hang crookedly
  • smile crookedly
  • grow crookedly
  • sit crookedly

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Built from the adjective 'crooked' (something bent or out of line) plus the adverb ending '-ly'. 'Crooked' itself comes from the Old Norse word 'krokr', meaning a hook or bend, which entered English in the Middle Ages. So 'crookedly' literally means 'in a hooked or bent manner', and over time it also picked up the figurative sense of dishonest behaviour, mirroring the adjective.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1