overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

ajar.

Slightly turned or opened.

4 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adv/əˈd͡ʒɑː/UK/əˈd͡ʒɑɹ/US
  1. Slightly turned or opened.

    not-comparable
    The door was standing ajar.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English ajar, on char (“on [the] turn”), from on (“on”) + char (“turn, occasion”), from Old English ċierr, cyrr (“turn”), from ċierran (“to turn, convert”), equivalent to a- + char. Akin to Scots char, chare (“to turn, cause to turn”), Dutch akerre, kier (“ajar”), German kehren (“to turn”). See char.

adj/əˈd͡ʒɑː/UK/əˈd͡ʒɑɹ/US
  1. Slightly turned or opened.

    The door is ajar.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English ajar, on char (“on [the] turn”), from on (“on”) + char (“turn, occasion”), from Old English ċierr, cyrr (“turn”), from ċierran (“to turn, convert”), equivalent to a- + char. Akin to Scots char, chare (“to turn, cause to turn”), Dutch akerre, kier (“ajar”), German kehren (“to turn”). See char.

verb/əˈd͡ʒɑː/UK/əˈd͡ʒɑɹ/US
  1. To turn or open slightly; to become ajar or to cause to become ajar; to be or to hang ajar.

    intransitive · rare · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English ajar, on char (“on [the] turn”), from on (“on”) + char (“turn, occasion”), from Old English ċierr, cyrr (“turn”), from ċierran (“to turn, convert”), equivalent to a- + char. Akin to Scots char, chare (“to turn, cause to turn”), Dutch akerre, kier (“ajar”), German kehren (“to turn”). See char.

adv/əˈd͡ʒɑː/UK/əˈd͡ʒɑɹ/US
  1. Out of harmony.

    archaic · not-comparable
  2. Being at variance or in contradiction to something.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

From a- (“in, at”) + jar (“discord, disagreement”).

verb/əˈd͡ʒɑː/UK/əˈd͡ʒɑɹ/US
  1. To show variance or contradiction with something; to be or cause to be askew.

    intransitive · rare
Where this word comes from

From a- (“in, at”) + jar (“discord, disagreement”).

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

ajar has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

ajar studioajar workshello, ajar

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.