Amiss (Adverb)

Meaning ¹

In an imperfect or faulty way; "The lobe was imperfectly developed"; "Miss Bennet would not play at all amiss if she practiced more"- Jane Austen.

Examples

• The young actress's lines came out amiss during the rehearsal, distracting the entire cast.
• If anything was amiss in that household, Mrs. Jenkins was certain to detect it immediately.
• Miss Thompson's inability to hold a steady note made her melody resonate amiss to those who were listening.
• Despite her enthusiasm for music, the fact that the violin was being played amiss could hardly be overlooked.
• Because the child's speech development had begun amiss, correct communication techniques needed to be applied.

Synonyms

• Imperfectly

Meaning ²

Away from the correct or expected course; "something has gone awry in our plans"; "something went badly amiss in the preparations".

Examples

• Something went badly amiss in the preparations for the grand opening of the new restaurant.
• The investigation revealed that several things had gone amiss during the construction of the bridge.
• It soon became clear that something had gone amiss in the lab, and the experiment had to be terminated.
• The pilot realized something was amiss when the plane's instruments began to malfunction.
• A few days into our trip, we began to sense that something had gone amiss with our carefully laid plans.

Synonyms

• Awry

Meaning ³

In an improper or mistaken or unfortunate manner; "if you think him guilty you judge amiss"; "he spoke amiss"; "no one took it amiss when she spoke frankly".

Examples

• The jury judged him amiss and he was wrongly accused.
• Her initial diagnosis had gone amiss from the very start.
• She unwittingly spoke amiss and offended several guests.
• He took it amiss when his boss criticized him in front of everyone.
• If you think him guilty you judge amiss and that's not fair to him.