crooked

adjective

crook·​ed ˈkru̇-kəd 

1

: not straight

a crooked road

Your tie is crooked.

2

: dishonest

a crooked election

crooked politicians

crookedly adverb

crookedness noun

Synonyms

• bending
• crazy
• curled
• curling
• curved
• curving
• curvy
• devious
• serpentine
• sinuous
• tortuous
• twisted
• twisting
• winding
• windy

Examples of crooked in a Sentence

a long, crooked line of people had formed in front of the ticket booth

the common belief that gambling casinos are often crooked businesses

Recent Examples on the Web

The pardon was a political bombshell that Republicans have used to further President-elect Donald Trump's claims that the Justice Department has been weaponized against him and that the Biden family has been crooked for years. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024

Caravans of cars traveled from Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia and Ohio to clinics here, loading up on pills and prescriptions from crooked doctors selling their prescription pads to anyone with so much as a hangnail. —Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 29 Nov. 2024

Life is imperfect as mankind is made of crooked timber. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024

Hanging a frame in my apartment the other day, a crooked placement gave me pause. —Camille Freestone, Architectural Digest, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see crook entry 2

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crooked

adjective

crook·​ed ˈkru̇k-əd 

1

: having bends and curves

a crooked path

2

: not set or placed straight

the picture is crooked

3

: dishonest

a crooked card game

crookedly adverb

crookedness noun