Meaning of a word awkward

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

  1. 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…

  2. adjective

    not elegant or graceful in expression

    “an
    awkward prose style”

    synonyms:

    clumsy, cumbersome, ill-chosen, inapt, inept

    infelicitous

    not appropriate in application; defective

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. adjective

    causing inconvenience

    “they arrived at an
    awkward time”

    Synonyms:

    inconvenient

    not suited to your comfort, purpose or needs

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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More from Merriam-Webster on awkward

Last Updated:
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 положение

awkward 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

  • 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

  • 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, cotcaught 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?)”.
Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup(+) or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.
  1. (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)

  1. 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
  2. Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.

    That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.

    An awkward silence had fallen.

  3. 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
  4. 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)

  1. 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 performanceawkward — 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 shapeawkward — 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 withawkward — 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, styleunbeholfen

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;

___ feelingsentimiento extraño.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

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