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Definition of "amiss" []

  • Out of proper order: What is amiss? (adjective)
  • Not in perfect shape; faulty. (adjective)
  • In an improper, defective, unfortunate, or mistaken way. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "amiss" in a sentence
  • "Brother Cadfael's gnarled, guileless-eyed self-sufficiency caused him discomfort without a word amiss or a glance out of place, as though his dignity were somehow under siege."
  • "In connexion with this sense it may not be amiss to notice that the Hebrew word, either in the form Haçer, or in the slightly different form Haçor was not infrequently used in proper names."
  • "I knew, also, that weapons would not come in amiss, and I re ntered Wolf Larsen's state-room to get his rifle and shotgun."