adj

crooked

KRUU-kihd

adj

Bent or twisted rather than straight.

"The old fence posts were crooked and leaning."

Dishonest or corrupt.

"The journalist exposed a crooked politician taking bribes."

"The used-car dealer had a reputation for crooked deals."

How to Use Crooked

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither physically bent and not straight, or dishonest and corrupt in behavior.

Common pairings

a crooked smile crooked politician crooked line

more crooked comparative, most crooked superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

The old fence posts were _____ and leaning.

From Middle English croked, the past participle of croken ("to bend"), from the same root as "crook."

cooked smoked choked hooked looked stoked spooked stroked overcooked unprovoked overlooked overbooked