Other forms: awkwardest; awkwarder
If you are awkward, chances are you are uncomfortable. You could feel socially awkward, like when you forget the host’s name. Or, you may feel physically awkward, like when you trip on your way to the podium.
Have you ever felt clumsy and that you had two left feet? That is how it is to feel awkward — literally that you are going in the wrong direction. Awkward is an example of a word literally meaning something and then figuratively meaning something related. Its Middle English roots are awke, meaning «backhanded,» and -ward, to «go in the direction of.» So, if you are feeling uncomfortable, or clumsy, it’s probably because your hands are connected to you the wrong way!
Definitions of awkward
-
adjective
lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance
“an
awkward dancer”“an
awkward gesture”“too
awkward with a needle to make her own clothes”“his clumsy fingers produced an
awkward knot”-
Synonyms:
-
maladroit
not adroit
-
ugly
displeasing to the senses
-
clumsy, clunky, gawky, ungainly, unwieldy
lacking grace in movement or posture
-
graceless, ungraceful
lacking grace; clumsy
-
labored, laboured, stilted, strained
lacking natural ease
-
wooden
lacking ease or grace
see moresee less-
Antonyms:
-
graceful
characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution
-
beautiful
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
-
elegant
refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style
-
elegant
displaying effortless beauty and simplicity in movement or execution
-
fluent, fluid, liquid, smooth
smooth and unconstrained in movement
-
gainly
graceful and pleasing
-
gracile, willowy
slender and graceful
-
lissom, lissome, lithe, lithesome, slender, supple, svelte, sylphlike
moving and bending with ease
- show more antonyms…
-
maladroit
-
adjective
not elegant or graceful in expression
“an
awkward prose style”-
synonyms:
clumsy, cumbersome, ill-chosen, inapt, inept
-
infelicitous
not appropriate in application; defective
-
infelicitous
-
adjective
socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner
“awkward and reserved at parties”
-
synonyms:
ill at ease, uneasy
-
uncomfortable
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
-
uncomfortable
-
adjective
difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape
“an
awkward bundle to carry”-
synonyms:
bunglesome, clumsy, ungainly
-
unmanageable, unwieldy
difficult to use or handle or manage because of size or weight or shape
-
unmanageable, unwieldy
-
adjective
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
“awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion”
“an
awkward pause followed his remark”-
synonyms:
embarrassing, sticky, unenviable
-
difficult, hard
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
-
difficult, hard
-
adjective
causing inconvenience
“they arrived at an
awkward time”-
Synonyms:
-
inconvenient
not suited to your comfort, purpose or needs
-
inconvenient
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘awkward’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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1
a
: lacking dexterity or skill (as in the use of hands)
I’m awkward with a needle and thread.
b
: showing the result of a lack of expertness
2
a
: lacking ease or grace (as of movement or expression)
3
a
: lacking social grace and assurance
b
: causing embarrassment
4
: not easy to handle or deal with : requiring great skill, ingenuity, or care
an awkward diplomatic situation
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for awkward
awkward, clumsy, maladroit, inept, gauche mean not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct).
awkward is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact.
periods of awkward silence
clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill.
maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations.
inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy.
a hopelessly inept defense attorney
gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding.
felt gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties
Example Sentences
I was electrified by what I learned in college. Still socially awkward, I had the bad habit of stopping strangers in the street to pour my heart out about the latest marvel I had learned.
—Jaron Lanier, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005
Greene must have known that such men would not spill the beans about his irregular life or ask awkward questions, though Burgess famously teased him for being … a poseur, and was banished.
—Paul Theroux, New York Times Book Review, 17 Oct. 2004
On the ground, vultures are hunched and awkward bundles of feathers, but in the air, where I watch them during much of the day, they are magnificent graceful soarers.
—Words From the Land, Stephen Trimble, editor, 1988
She is awkward at dancing.
He had large feet and his walk was awkward and ungainly.
The story contained some awkward writing.
She is an awkward writer.
The machine is very awkward to operate.
I often find myself in awkward situations.
He was put in the awkward position of having to write the memo.
There was an awkward pause in the conversation.
He feels awkward with strangers.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
What to Consider: The protruding heel can be awkward if you’re not used to it.
—Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2023
Irina Solomonova and Zack Goytowski built a connection in the Love Is Blind season four pods, but their first meeting in person couldn’t have been more awkward.
—Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 24 Mar. 2023
Growing out your brows can be as awkward as growing out your bangs.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2023
The final result was visually awkward and earned so many complaints on social media that McLendon-Covey even weighed in at the time.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Mar. 2023
The reunion is awkward.
—Jasmine Liu, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2023
Barrymore’s video came days after Grant went viral for his awkward interview with Ashley Graham on the 2023 Oscars red carpet.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2023
The two young women couldn’t be more different; Marissa is outgoing and popular, while Dre is socially awkward to an uncomfortably extreme degree.
—Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 17 Mar. 2023
Grant, who recently went viral after an awkward Oscars red carpet interview with Ashley Graham, didn’t stop there.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘awkward.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English awkeward in the wrong direction, from awke turned the wrong way, from Old Norse ǫfugr; akin to Old High German abuh turned the wrong way
First Known Use
1530, in the meaning defined at sense 5
Time Traveler
The first known use of awkward was
in 1530
Dictionary Entries Near awkward
Cite this Entry
“Awkward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awkward. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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31 Mar 2023
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
- awkward
- ˈɔ:kwəd прил.
1) неуклюжий, неловкий (о людях, движениях и т. п.) an awkward gait ≈ неуклюжая походка awkward age Syn : clumsy
2) неудобный;
затруднительный, неловкий an awkward situation ≈ неловкое, щекотливое положение He is awkward with children. ≈ Он неловко себя чувствует с детьми. Monday is awkward for me. ≈ Мне неудобен понедельник. It is awkward to discuss such matters in public. ≈ Неловко обсуждать такие вопросы на людях. Syn : difficult, hard
3) разг. трудный (о человеке)
4) труднопреодолимый~ неуклюжий, неловкий (о людях, движениях и т. п.) ;
an awkward gait неуклюжая походка~ неудобный;
неловкий, затруднительный;
an awkward situation неловкое, щекотливое положениеawkward громоздкий ~ затруднительный ~ неудобный;
неловкий, затруднительный;
an awkward situation неловкое, щекотливое положение ~ неуклюжий, неловкий (о людях, движениях и т. п.) ;
an awkward gait неуклюжая походка ~ труднопреодолимый ~ разг. трудный (о человеке)
Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь.
2001.
Полезное
Смотреть что такое «awkward» в других словарях:
-
awkward — awkward, clumsy, maladroit, inept, gauche mean not adapted by constitution or character to act, operate, or achieve the intended or desired ends with ease, fitness, or grace. Awkward and clumsy are by far the widest of these terms in their range… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
-
Awkward — Awk ward ([add]k we[ e]rd), a. [Awk + ward.] 1. Wanting dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not dexterous; without skill; clumsy; wanting ease, grace, or effectiveness in movement; ungraceful; as, he was awkward at a trick; an… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
-
awkward — [ôk′wərd] adj. [ME aukward < ON ǫfugr, turned backward + OE weard, WARD] 1. not having grace or skill; clumsy, as in form or movement; bungling [an awkward dancer, an awkward style] 2. inconvenient to use; hard to handle; unwieldy [an awkward… … English World dictionary
-
Awkward — Titre original Awkward Genre Comédie Créateur(s) Lauren Iungerich Acteurs principaux Ashley Rickards Beau Mirchoff Brett Davern Sadie Saxon Pays d’origine … Wikipédia en Français
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awkward — [adj1] clumsy, inelegant all thumbs*, amateurish, artless, blundering, bulky, bumbling, bungling, butterfingers*, coarse, floundering, gawky, graceless, green*, having two left feet*, having two left hands*, incompetent, inept, inexpert, klutzy* … New thesaurus
-
awkward — index difficult, improper, inadept, incompetent, inelegant, inept (incompetent), ponderous, unbecoming … Law dictionary
-
awkward — (adj.) mid 14c., in the wrong direction, from AWK (Cf. awk) back handed + adverbial suffix weard (see WARD (Cf. ward)). Meaning clumsy first recorded 1520s. Related: Awkwardly. Other formations from awk, none of them surviving, were awky, awkly,… … Etymology dictionary
-
awkward — ► ADJECTIVE 1) hard to do or deal with. 2) causing or feeling embarrassment. 3) inconvenient. 4) clumsy. DERIVATIVES awkwardly adverb awkwardness noun. ORIGIN from obsolete … English terms dictionary
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awkward — awk|ward S2 [ˈo:kwəd US ˈo:kwərd] adj [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: awk turned the wrong way (15 17 centuries) (from Old Norse öfugr) + ward] 1.) making you feel embarrassed so that you are not sure what to do or say = ↑difficult ▪ I hoped he would… … Dictionary of contemporary English
-
awkward — adj. 1) awkward with (he is awkward with children) 2) (BE) awkward for (Monday is awkward for me) 3) awkward to + inf. (it is awkward to discuss such matters in public = it is awkward discussing such matters in public) * * * [ ɔːkwəd] (BE)… … Combinatory dictionary
-
awkward — [[t]ɔ͟ːkwə(r)d[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED An awkward situation is embarrassing and difficult to deal with. I was the first to ask him awkward questions but there ll be harder ones to come… There was an awkward moment as couples decided whether to stand … English dictionary
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From awk (“odd, clumsy”) + -ward.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɔːkwəd/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɔkwɚd/
- (Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈɑkwɚd/
-
Audio (US) (US cot-caught merged) (file) - Hyphenation: awk‧ward
Adverb[edit]
awkward (comparative more awkward, superlative most awkward)
A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up, giving the reason: “Quote is malformatted and is Middle English (enm) awkewarde — RFV for this New English (en) term?)”. | |
---|---|
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- (obsolete) In a backwards direction.
-
1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum X”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:
:
- Than groned the knyght for his grymme woundis, and gyrdis to Sir Gawayne and awkewarde hym strykes, and […] kut thorow a vayne […].
-
Adjective[edit]
awkward (comparative awkwarder or more awkward, superlative awkwardest or most awkward)
- Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
-
John was awkward at performing the trick. He’ll have to practice to improve.
- Synonyms: clumsy, lubberly, ungraceful, unhandy
- Antonyms: dexterous, gainly, graceful, handy, skillful
-
- Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.
-
That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.
-
An awkward silence had fallen.
-
- Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.
-
I’m very awkward at parties.
-
Things get very awkward whenever 60-year old men use cheesy pick-up lines on me.
- Synonym: maladroit
- Antonyms: amiable, cool
-
- Perverse; adverse; difficult to handle.
-
He’s a right awkward chap.
-
These cabinets are going to be very awkward when we move.
-
2020 August 26, Andrew Mourant, “Reinforced against future flooding”, in Rail, page 61:
-
Clearing up rock and fallen vegetation at such an awkward site required a team of specialist geoengineers.
-
-
Derived terms[edit]
- awkward age
- awkward squad
- awkwardly
- awkwardness
Translations[edit]
lacking dexterity in the use of the hands
- American Sign Language: 3@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown-3@SideChesthigh-PalmDown Upanddown-Upanddown
- Belarusian: нязгра́бны (njazhrábny), няўклю́дны (njaŭkljúdny), нехлямя́жы (njexljamjážy)
- Bulgarian: несръчен (bg) (nesrǎčen), непохватен (bg) (nepohvaten)
- Catalan: maldestre (ca) m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 別扭/别扭 (zh) (bièniu)
- Czech: neobratný m, nešikovný (cs) m
- Dutch: onhandig (nl)
- Esperanto: mallerta
- Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
- French: maladroit (fr) m, gauche (fr)
- German: ungeschickt (de), unbeholfen (de), umständlich (de), tollpatschig (de), tölpelhaft (de), patschert (de) (Austrian)
- Greek: αδέξιος (el) (adéxios)
- Icelandic: klunnalegur (is)
- Indonesian: canggung (id), kikuk (id)
- Irish: crúbach, ciotrúnta
- Italian: maldestro (it), impacciato (it), goffo (it) m
- Japanese: 不器用な (ja) (bukiyō na), 不便な (ja) (fuben na)
- Korean: 서투르다 (ko) (seotureuda)
- Latin: inconcinnus m
- Latvian: neveikls m
- Lithuanian: nerangus m
- Macedonian: не́згоден (nézgoden), не́смасен m (nésmasen)
- Maori: ninipa
- Norwegian: klumsete, klønete
- Portuguese: desajeitado (pt), bisonho (pt)
- Romanian: neîndemânatic (ro), stângaci (ro)
- Russian: нело́вкий (ru) (nelóvkij), неуклю́жий (ru) (neukljúžij)
- Spanish: torpe (es), desmañado (es)
- Turkish: sakar (tr), beceriksiz (tr)
- Ukrainian: незгра́бний (nezhrábnyj)
not easily managed or effected; embarrassing
- American Sign Language: 3@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown-3@SideChesthigh-PalmDown Upanddown-Upanddown
- Bulgarian: неловък (bg) (nelovǎk), неудобен (bg) (neudoben)
- Catalan: incòmode (ca)
- Czech: nepříjemný (cs) m
- Danish: akavet
- Dutch: ongemakkelijk (nl), genant
- Esperanto: konsterna, senaplombiga
- Finnish: kiusallinen (fi), vaivaannuttava, hankala (fi), vaikea (fi), nolo (fi)
- French: embarrassant (fr) m
- German: peinlich (de), betreten (de), unangenehm (de), umständlich (de), patschert (de) (Austrian), beklemmend (de)
- Greek: δύσκολος (el) (dýskolos)
- Hungarian: kínos (hu)
- Icelandic: vandræðalegur (is), pínlegur
- Irish: anásta
- Italian: imbarazzato (it), poco opportuno, delicato (it), imbarazzante (it), inopportuno (it)
- Japanese: ぎごちない (gigochinai)
- Korean: 어색하다 (ko) (eosaekhada)
- Latvian: neveikls m
- Lithuanian: nejaukus m, nepatogus m
- Macedonian: не́згоден (nézgoden)
- Maori: tahangoi
- Norwegian: pinlig (no)
- Persian: ناجور (fa) (nâjur)
- Plautdietsch: onjeschekjt
- Polish: nieprzyjemny (pl) m
- Portuguese: constrangedor (pt), desconcertante (pt)
- Russian: нело́вкий (ru) (nelóvkij), неудо́бный (ru) (neudóbnyj), затрудни́тельный (ru) (zatrudnítelʹnyj)
- Spanish: embarazoso (es), delicado (es), incómodo (es)
- Swedish: pinsam (sv), genant (sv), stel (sv)
- Tagalog: matungal
- Turkish: kullanışsız (tr)
- Ukrainian: незручни́й (nezručnýj)
perverse; adverse; untoward
- Bulgarian: неприятен (bg) (neprijaten), неудобен (bg) (neudoben)
- Catalan: incòmode (ca) m, inconvenient (ca) m
- Esperanto: maloportuna
- Finnish: hankala (fi), vastahakoinen (fi)
- French: inconvenant (fr) m
- German: verdreht (de), verkorkst (de), Umstände machend, umständlich (de), unangenehm (de)
- Gothic: 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐍃 (agls)
- Italian: scomodo (it), poco maneggevole, difficile (it)
- Macedonian: непри́јатен (nepríjaten), не́згоден (nézgoden), те́рсене (térsene)
- Polish: nieśmiały (pl)
- Portuguese: incómodo (pt) m
- Spanish: difícil (es), atravesado (es)
- Turkish: garip (tr), uygunsuz (tr)
Noun[edit]
awkward (plural awkwards)
- Someone or something that is awkward.
-
1912, Eliza Ripley, Social Life in Old New Orleans, Being Recollections of My Girlhood, New York, N.Y.; London: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
-
Another important branch of deportment was to seat the awkwards stiffly on the extreme edge of a chair, fold the hands on the very precarious lap, droop the eyes in a pensive way.
-
-
1998, Leo Marks, Between Silk and Cyanide: The Story of SOE’s Code War, London: HarperCollins, →ISBN:
-
‘What periods are you talking about?’ / ‘The monthly awkwards. Didn’t the girls at Molyneux have them when you were managing director?’ / The Rabbit leaned forward, sniffing the air in the immediate vicinity. ‘Either you’ve been drinking or you’ve got some girl into trouble. Or am I being unfair to you and it’s both?’
-
-
2014, Grace Helbig, Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-up, New York, N.Y.: Touchstone Books, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 76:
-
That is a way to make awkwards. And it’s not fun to hang out with awkwards more than once.
-
-
awk·ward
(ôk′wərd)
adj.
1. Not graceful; ungainly.
2.
a. Not dexterous; clumsy.
b. Clumsily or unskillfully performed: The opera was marred by an awkward aria.
3.
a. Difficult to handle or manage: an awkward bundle to carry.
b. Difficult to effect; uncomfortable: an awkward pose.
4.
a. Marked by or causing embarrassment or discomfort: an awkward remark; an awkward silence.
b. Requiring great tact, ingenuity, skill, and discretion: An awkward situation arose during the peace talks.
[Middle English awkeward, in the wrong way : awke, wrong (from Old Norse öfugr, backward; see apo- in Indo-European roots) + -ward, -ward.]
awk′ward·ly adv.
awk′ward·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
awkward
(ˈɔːkwəd)
adj
1. lacking dexterity, proficiency, or skill; clumsy; inept: the new recruits were awkward in their exercises.
2. ungainly or inelegant in movements or posture: despite a great deal of practice she remained an awkward dancer.
3. unwieldy; difficult to use: an awkward implement.
4. embarrassing: an awkward moment.
5. embarrassed: he felt awkward about leaving.
6. difficult to deal with; requiring tact: an awkward situation; an awkward customer.
7. deliberately uncooperative or unhelpful: he could help but he is being awkward.
8. dangerous or difficult: an awkward ascent of the ridge.
9. obsolete perverse
[C14 awk, from Old Norse öfugr turned the wrong way round + -ward]
ˈawkwardly adv
ˈawkwardness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
awk•ward
(ˈɔk wərd)
adj.
1. lacking skill or dexterity; clumsy.
2. lacking grace or ease, as in movement or posture: an awkward gesture.
3. lacking social graces or manners.
4. ill-adapted for ease of use or handling: an awkward tool.
5. requiring caution; somewhat hazardous; dangerous: an awkward turn in the road.
6. hard to deal with; difficult; requiring skill or tact: an awkward situation.
7. embarrassing or inconvenient; caused by lack of social grace: an awkward moment.
8. Obs. untoward; perverse.
[1300–50; Middle English, =awk(e) backhanded, Old English *afoc (< Old Norse ǫfugr turned the wrong way) + —ward -ward]
awk′ward•ly, adv.
awk′ward•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
awkward
— Comes from Old Norse awk, «perverse,» and weard, «in the direction of,» i.e. «turned back upon itself» or «turned backward.»
See also related terms for perverse.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj. | 1. | awkward — causing inconvenience; «they arrived at an awkward time»
inconvenient — not suited to your comfort, purpose or needs; «it is inconvenient not to have a telephone in the kitchen»; «the back hall is an inconvenient place for the telephone» |
2. | awkward — lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance; «an awkward dancer»; «an awkward gesture»; «too awkward with a needle to make her own clothes»; «his clumsy fingers produced an awkward knot»
maladroit — not adroit; «a maladroit movement of his hand caused the car to swerve»; «a maladroit translation»; «maladroit propaganda» ugly — displeasing to the senses; «an ugly face»; «ugly furniture» graceful — characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution |
|
3. | awkward — difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape; «an awkward bundle to carry»; «a load of bunglesome paraphernalia»; «clumsy wooden shoes»; «the cello, a rather ungainly instrument for a girl»
bunglesome, ungainly, clumsy unmanageable, unwieldy — difficult to use or handle or manage because of size or weight or shape; «we set about towing the unwieldy structure into the shelter»; «almost dropped the unwieldy parcel» |
|
4. | awkward — not elegant or graceful in expression; «an awkward prose style»; «a clumsy apology»; «his cumbersome writing style»; «if the rumor is true, can anything be more inept than to repeat it now?»
ill-chosen, inapt, inept, clumsy, cumbersome infelicitous — not appropriate in application; defective; «an infelicitous remark»; «infelicitous phrasing»; «the infelicitous typesetting was due to illegible copy» |
|
5. | awkward — hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; «awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion»; «an awkward pause followed his remark»; «a sticky question»; «in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign»
embarrassing, unenviable, sticky difficult, hard — not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; «a difficult task»; «nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access»; «difficult times»; «why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?» |
|
6. | awkward — socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner; «awkward and reserved at parties»; «ill at ease among eddies of people he didn’t know»; «was always uneasy with strangers»
ill at ease, uneasy uncomfortable — conducive to or feeling mental discomfort; «this kind of life can prove disruptive and uncomfortable»; «the uncomfortable truth»; «grew uncomfortable beneath his appraising eye»; «an uncomfortable way of surprising me just when I felt surest»; «the teacher’s presence at the conference made the child very uncomfortable» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
awkward
adjective
1. embarrassing, difficult, compromising, sensitive, embarrassed, painful, distressing, delicate, uncomfortable, tricky, trying, humiliating, unpleasant, sticky (informal), troublesome, perplexing, disconcerting, inconvenient, thorny, untimely, ill at ease, discomfiting, ticklish, inopportune, toe-curling (slang), cringeworthy (Brit. informal) There was an awkward moment when people had to decide where to stand.
embarrassing comfortable, pleasant
3. clumsy, stiff, rude, blundering, coarse, bungling, lumbering, inept, unskilled, bumbling, unwieldy, ponderous, ungainly, gauche, gawky, uncouth, unrefined, artless, inelegant, uncoordinated, graceless, cack-handed (informal), unpolished, clownish, oafish, inexpert, maladroit, ill-bred, all thumbs, ungraceful, skill-less, unskilful, butterfingered (informal), unhandy, ham-fisted or ham-handed (informal) She made an awkward gesture with her hands.
clumsy graceful, skilful, adept, adroit, dexterous
4. uncooperative, trying, difficult, annoying, unpredictable, unreasonable, stubborn, troublesome, perverse, prickly, exasperating, irritable, intractable, vexing, unhelpful, touchy, obstinate, obstructive, bloody-minded (Brit. informal), chippy (informal), vexatious, hard to handle, disobliging She’s got to an age where she’s being awkward.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
awkward
adjective
1. Lacking dexterity and grace in physical movement:
2. Clumsily lacking in the ability to do or perform:
3. Characterized by inappropriateness and gracelessness, especially in expression:
4. Difficult to handle or manage:
5. Characterized by embarrassment and discomfort:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
حَرِج، مُحْرِج، مُربِكغَير بارِع، غَير لَبِق، غَير رَشيقمُحْرِج
neobratnýnepříjemnýtrapnýnešikovnýnevhodný
akavetkejtetpinligubekvemvanskelig
kömpelövaikeahankalakiusallinen
neugodan
klunnalegurvandræîalegur
不器用な
서투른
negrabiainegrabumasnegrabusnejaukusnemalonus
lempīgsneērtsneveikls
mučennelagodennerodennespretenzoprn
genantgeneradpinsam
งุ่มง่าม
ngượng ngịu
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
awkward
adj
(= clumsy) person, movement, style → unbeholfen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
awkward
[ˈɔːkwəd] adj
b. (clumsy, person) → goffo/a; (gesture, movement) → impacciato/a; (style, phrasing) → contorto/a
the awkward age → l’età difficile
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
awkward
(ˈoːkwəd) adjective
1. not graceful or elegant. an awkward movement.
2. difficult or causing difficulty, embarrassment etc. an awkward question; an awkward silence; His cut is in an awkward place.
ˈawkwardly adverbˈawkwardness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
awkward
→ مُحْرِج trapný akavet ungünstig αδέξιος incómodo kömpelö gauche neugodan imbarazzante 不器用な 서투른 lastig keitet dziwny desajeitado, embaraçoso затруднительный generad งุ่มง่าม aksi, beceriksiz, ters, sıkıntılı ngượng ngịu 笨拙的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
awkward
a. [movement] torpe; desmañado-a; [appearance] extraño-a;
___ feeling → sentimiento extraño.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012