crooked
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having bends or curves; not straight or even.
physically bent, curved, or twisted; lacking a straight or symmetrical form.
Simple“The old man walked with a crooked stick he found in the woods.”
In context“The narrow path followed a crooked line through the dense forest, winding around ancient trees and massive boulders.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
not in the correct position; leaning to one side.
positioned at an angle; not vertical, level, or square.
Simple“The picture on the wall is crooked; please straighten it.”
In context“After the minor earthquake, several paintings in the gallery were left crooked, requiring the staff to spend hours realigning them.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
dishonest or illegal, especially regarding money or power.
morally or legally corrupt; engaging in fraudulent or deceptive practices.
Simple“The city had to fire the crooked politician for stealing tax money.”
In context“The investigative journalist spent months uncovering the crooked dealings of the corporation's executive board.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
feeling annoyed or in a bad mood.
characterised by an ill-tempered or irritable disposition.
Simple“Don't mind him; he's always a bit crooked before he has his morning coffee.”
In context“The locals knew to avoid the shopkeeper when he was in a crooked mood, as he was prone to sharp remarks.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is primarily found in Newfoundland English; learners should use 'grumpy' or 'irritable' in standard contexts.
“In the same over, Abdullah Shafique's crooked bat resulted in an edge to Root at first slip.”
“He takes on the might of the crooked West Yorkshire police and partly succeeds.”
From crook, equivalent to crook + -ed.
From Middle English croked, crokid, past participle of croken (“to crook, bend”). Cognate with Danish kroget (“crooked”). More at crook.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.