amiss
When things are out of their proper places or not happening the way they should, we say they are amiss. Sherlock Holmes, like many sharp detectives, would quickly notice when something was amiss at a crime scene.
The word amiss can be used as an adverb, as in the sentence, "I spoke amiss." Or you could use it as an adjective, as when you think something is wrong or missing — "Something in the room is amiss." Either way, amiss refers to something that is wrong, off the mark, or "missed." Once in a while, the word amiss can imply that something fishy or foul has taken place. In Hamlet, when Marcellus said, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," he might as well have said, "Something in Denmark is amiss."
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in an improper or mistaken or unfortunate manner“if you think him guilty you judge amiss”“he spoke amiss”“no one took it amiss when she spoke frankly”
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in an imperfect or faulty way“"Miss Bennet would not play at all amiss if she practiced more"- Jane Austen”synonyms: imperfectly
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away from the correct or expected course“something went badly amiss in the preparations”synonyms: awry
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not functioning properly“something is amiss”
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Vocabulary lists containing amiss
Centered around Okonkwo, an Igbo leader who is banished from his community, this novel explores the tension between white missionaries and tribal culture in Nigeria.
Brutus is a trusted confidant of the Roman general Julius Caesar, but when he becomes convinced that Caesar's ambitions are a threat to the republic, he plots his friend's assassination.
In this comedy, two Athenian couples and a troupe of actors become unwitting pawns in a squabble between a fairy king and queen.