awry
adj.not in the correct position or direction. You use this to describe something that is slightly off or not quite right.
adj.not in the correct or intended position, direction, or state. Often used to describe a slight misalignment or a failure to achieve a desired result.
“The picture is slightly awry on the wall.”
“The plan went awry when the main speaker arrived late and forgot her notes.”
“The delicate balance of the ecosystem was thrown slightly awry by the sudden introduction of an invasive species that outcompeted the native plants for nutrients.”
“The researchers applied their method to a variety of cellular model systems, demonstrating its potential to help reveal how cells go awry over time in disease and how drugs affect cells.”
“You have to be very careful with it because it's very easy for that to go awry and to backfire on you.”
From Middle English awry, awrie. By surface analysis, a- + wry.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.