Aslant means slanted or tilted to one side, not straight up and down or perfectly level. When something sits aslant, it leans at an angle.

Picture a stack of books on a desk that's starting to tip over, leaning precariously to one side. The stack sits aslant. Or imagine a painting hanging crooked on a wall, one corner higher than the other. It hangs aslant. After a windstorm, a fence post might stand aslant instead of perfectly vertical.

The word often describes how light falls or how someone looks at something. Sunlight might fall aslant through venetian blinds, creating diagonal stripes across the floor. Someone might glance at you aslant, looking sideways rather than straight on, which can suggest suspicion or curiosity.

While aslant and slanted mean nearly the same thing, aslant sounds more literary and poetic. You might write that “the old barn stood aslant after years of harsh winters” rather than just saying it was slanted. The word captures that sense of something leaning or tilting in a way that catches your eye.