awry
When something goes wrong with a decent plan, you say it has gone awry. Losing your backpack is a mistake, but when you realize it contained your ticket and your passport, your vacation plans really go awry.
Wry means "twisted" — so going awry means getting "twisted up." Awry is similar to askew, which means "off, out of line." Though when you compare the roots skew, "turned at an angle" and wry, "twisted," you see the subtle difference between the two words.
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turned or twisted to one side“with his necktie twisted awry”synonyms: askew, skew-whiff
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away from the correct or expected course“something has gone awry in our plans”synonyms: amiss
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turned or twisted toward one side
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not functioning properly
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Vocabulary lists containing awry
Mathilde Loisel covets an extravagant lifestyle she can't afford. In order to fit in at a high-society party to which she is invited, she borrows a necklace from a friend—a decision that will change her life forever. Read the full text of the story here.
Liesel Meminger is a foster child living in Nazi Germany in 1939. Surrounded by violence, hardship, and war, Liesel is watched over by Death, who narrates her story. Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Part Two, Part Three–Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten–Epilogue
As you read Lane Wallace's "Is Survival Selfish?" learn this word list. Here are links to lists for texts in Grade 9's Collection 5: Night, Is Survival Selfish?, Deep Survival, The Leap, The End and the Beginning