Adjective / Adverb
schief
Pronunciation: /ʃiːf-/
skew, oblique, askew, leaning, slanting, aslant, inclined (neither parallel nor perpendicular)
B1
rank #2,643
Meanings
Adjective
- skew, oblique, askew, leaning, slanting, aslant, inclined (neither parallel nor perpendicular)
- slopy, sloping (characterised by a slope or slopes)
- crooked, awry (set at an angle; not vertical or square)
- lopsided (not even or balanced; not the same on one side as on the other)
Adverb
- crookedly, at an angle
- lopsidedly
- askance (sideways; obliquely)
- badly, wrong (in a way that isn't right)
Example sentence
Das Regal hängt schief an der Wand.
The shelf is hanging crooked on the wall.
Usage
- schief hängen — Hang crooked or at an angle.
- schiefgehen — The related separable verb means go wrong.
Das Bild hängt ein wenig schief.
The picture is hanging slightly crooked.