atilt
Not quite upright
Atilt means tilted or in a tilted position: The picture hung atilt on the wall.
The word also describes the posture of a knight with lance raised for jousting, giving rise to the figurative sense of ready for combat or confrontation: He came at the proposal atilt, eager to challenge every point.
Literary and somewhat old-fashioned.
Tilted from true
- slantedAngled from vertical
- inclinedTending toward, tilted
- cantedSet at angle
- leaningTendency toward something
sloped · diagonal · oblique · skewed · listing · pitched · banked · lopsided
Long thrusting weapon
- knightHonored mounted soldier
- tournamentMulti-round competitive event
- chargeCost or accusation
- armorProtective combat covering
chivalry · medieval · steed · lists · unhorsed · gallop · tiltyard · quintain
Unstably balanced, nearly falling
- wobblyTending to teeter
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- precariousDangerously insecure
- topplingCausing to collapse
swaying · off-balance · tipsy · staggering · lurching · tottering · wavering · shaky
Hostile and confrontational
- confrontationalInclined toward hostile encounters
- chargingRestoring electrical power
- attackingActively engaging offensively
- hostileAggressively unfriendly
ready · poised · bellicose · pugnacious · defiant · antagonistic · warlike · provocative
askew
Tilted from true
leaning · sloped · diagonal · oblique · skewed · listing · pitched · banked · lopsided · cockeyed
lance
Long thrusting weapon
- knightHonored mounted soldier
- tournamentMulti-round competitive event
- chargeCost or accusation
armor · chivalry · medieval · steed · lists · unhorsed · gallop · tiltyard · quintain · barrier
teetering
Unstably balanced, nearly falling
- wobblyTending to teeter
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- precariousDangerously insecure
toppling · swaying · off-balance · tipsy · staggering · lurching · tottering · wavering · shaky · insecure
aggressive
Hostile and confrontational
- confrontationalInclined toward hostile encounters
- chargingRestoring electrical power
- attackingActively engaging offensively
hostile · ready · poised · bellicose · pugnacious · defiant · antagonistic · warlike · provocative