akilter

English

Etymology

From a- +‎ kilter?

Adjective

akilter (comparative more akilter, superlative most akilter)

1. crooked, out of alignment, askew
   • 1995, Richard Brautigan, Revenge of the Lawn, page 109:

     All of their gardens had been crushed by winter storms and their corn patches were defeated and all akilter.

2. (figuratively) twisted, dysfunctional
   • 2002, Iris Murdoch, The Time of the Angels, page 297:

     He knew something was wrong by the smell of the house and the sounds and colours of uneasy light that told him the mood of things was all akilter.

Anagrams

• artlike, karlite, ratlike, talkier, tarlike