English Lexicon

Crooked

/ˈkrʊk.ɪd/
adjectiveCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #2100 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As adjective
  1. 1

    Bent, twisted, or not straight; having curves, angles, or irregularities.

    "The old painting hung slightly crooked on the wall."
  2. 2

    Dishonest, fraudulent, or illegal, especially in professional or political conduct.

    "The investigation uncovered a crooked scheme involving several city officials."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Synonyms (3)
Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Middle English 'croked', past participle of 'croken', meaning to bend, originating from Old Norse 'krókr' meaning hook or bend. The term shifted historically from describing a physical hook-like shape to anything not straight, and metaphorically to dishonest behavior.

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