Askew means crooked, tilted, or not quite straight. When something sits askew, it's positioned at an angle when it should be level or aligned. A painting hanging askew on the wall leans to one side instead of hanging perfectly vertical. A hat worn askew might tip sideways on someone's head, giving them a jaunty or careless look.

You'll often notice things are askew when they bother your sense of order. If you're arranging books on a shelf and one sticks out askew from the others, it catches your eye. When your teacher's glasses sit askew on their nose, you might feel the urge to mention it. The word captures that slightly-off quality that makes you want to straighten things.

Askew can describe physical objects or, more figuratively, situations that aren't going according to plan. If your carefully organized birthday party goes askew because of unexpected rain, your plans have gotten knocked off course. The word suggests something is almost right but not quite, like when you rush to get dressed and realize later that your shirt buttons are askew, each one fastened into the wrong buttonhole.