crooked

/ˈkrʊkəd/

/ˈkrʊkɪd/

Other forms: crookedest; crookeder

Something crooked is not straight, like a trail through the woods, or your cousin's unfortunate set of teeth.

Crook is a Middle English verb meaning "bend," which comes from the Norse for hook. So crooked means "bent out of shape or curving around sharply." A picture hanging diagonally on the wall is crooked, and so is a hunchback's spine. We also use crooked metaphorically to talk about being bent out of moral shape, so to speak. A crooked politician is dishonest and takes bribes, and crooked businessmen steal from unsuspecting clients.

Definitions of crooked

1. adjective

   having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
   “crooked country roads”

   “crooked teeth”

   synonyms:

   indirect

   not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination

   akimbo

   (used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body

   anfractuous

   full of twists and turns

   aquiline, hooked

   curved down like an eagle's beak

   askew, awry, cockeyed, lopsided, skew-whiff, wonky

   turned or twisted toward one side

   contorted, writhed, writhen

   twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)

   deflective, refractive

   capable of changing the direction (of a light or sound wave)

   geniculate

   bent at a sharp angle

   gnarled, gnarly, knobbed, knotted, knotty

   used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots

   malposed

   characterized by malposition

   reflexed

   (of leaves) bent downward and outward more than 90 degrees

   squiggly

   wavy and twisting

   tortuous, twisting, twisty, voluminous, winding

   marked by repeated turns and bends

   warped

   used especially of timbers or boards; bent out of shape usually by moisture

   windblown

   used especially of trees; growing in a shape determined by the prevailing winds

   wry

   bent to one side

   zig-zag, zigzag

   having short sharp turns or angles

   coiled

   curled or wound (especially in concentric rings or spirals)

   antonyms:

   straight

   having no deviations

   direct

   direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short

   perpendicular, vertical

   at right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line

   aligned

   in a straight line

   unbent

   not bent

   untwisted

   not twisted; formerly twisted but now straight
2. adjective

   irregular in shape or outline
   “a dress with a crooked hemline”

   synonyms: asymmetrical

   irregular

   contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
3. adjective

   having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
   synonyms: hunched, round-backed, round-shouldered, stooped, stooping

   unerect

   not upright in position or posture
4. adjective

   not straight; dishonest or immoral or evasive
   synonyms: corrupt

   dishonest, dishonorable

   deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive

   unlawful

   contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law

   sneaky, underhand, underhanded

   marked by deception

   antonyms:

   straight

   characterized by honesty and fairness

   honest, honorable

   not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent

   lawful

   conformable to or allowed by law

   aboveboard, straightforward

   without concealment or deception; honest

   guileless, transparent

   free of deceit

   straightarrow

   conventionally moral and upright