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Definition of "askance" []

  • With disapproval, suspicion, or distrust: "The area is so dirty that merchants report the tourists are looking askance” ( Chris Black). (adverb)
  • With a sideways glance; obliquely. (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 "askance" in a sentence
  • "Compared to these inducements, the fact that people would look upon her askance was a very insignificant consideration."
  • "Let me get a-- let me get a break and get Senator Warner to comment, because I noticed he -- he looked kind of askance at some of the things you were saying."
  • "He pays £15 for a haircut and shave at the local barbers, looks askance at anything with a label that doesn't have Oxfam attached to it and, when asked where he got his jacket from, is proud to say "it was my grandfather's.""