awkward
AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Adjective (6)
- causing inconvenience“they arrived at an awkward time”Opposite convenientSimilar inconvenient
- 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”Opposite gracefulSimilar gawky, labored, wooden, gracelessSee also maladroit, ugly
- 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”Synonyms: bunglesomeclumsyungainlyOpposite wieldySimilar unwieldy, unmanageable
- 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?”Synonyms: clumsycumbersomeinaptineptill-chosenOpposite felicitousSimilar infelicitous
- 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”Synonyms: embarrassingstickyunenviableOpposite easySimilar difficult, hard
- 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”Synonyms: ill at easeuneasyOpposite comfortableSimilar uncomfortable
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Adjective not easily managed or effected
- Spanish
- incómodo
- French
- embarrassant
- German
- umständlich
- Italian
- scomodo
- Portuguese
- complicado
- Russian
- неудо́бный neudóbnyj
- Arabic
- صعب ṣaʕb
- Chinese
- 棘手 jíshǒu
- Dutch
- ongemakkelijk
- Swedish
- pinsam
9 more languages
- Korean
- 어색하다 eosaekhada
- Indonesian
- canggung
- Hungarian
- kínos
- Portuguese (PT)
- constrangedor
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 尷尬 gāngà
- Danish
- akavet
- Finnish
- kiusallinen
- Icelandic
- vandræðalegur
- Norwegian
- pinlig
Adjective lacking dexterity in the use of the hands
- Spanish
- torpe
- French
- maladroit
- German
- ungeschickt
- Italian
- maldestro
- Portuguese
- desajeitado
- Turkish
- sakar
- Russian
- нело́вкий nelóvkij
- Chinese
- 笨拙 bènzhuō
- Dutch
- onhandig
- Polish
- niezgrabny
9 more languages
- Greek
- αδέξιος adéxios
- Indonesian
- kikuk
- Portuguese (PT)
- desajeitado
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 彆扭 bièniu
- Czech
- nešikovný
- Esperanto
- mallerta
- Finnish
- kömpelö
- Icelandic
- klunnalegur
- Romanian
- neîndemânatic
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: 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 awkward boy.
And dropped an awkward courtesy.— John Dryden
2. Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.
A long and awkward process.— Thomas Babington Macaulay
An awkward affair is one that has gone wrong, and is difficult to adjust.— Charles John Smith
3. Perverse; adverse; untoward. obsolete “Awkward casualties.” “Awkward wind.” William Shakespeare
O blind guides, which being of an awkward religion, do strain out a gnat, and swallow up a cancel.— Nicholas Udall
Synonyms: Ungainly; unhandy; clownish; lubberly; gawky; maladroit; bungling; inelegant; ungraceful; unbecoming. — Awkward, Clumsy, Uncouth. Awkward has a special reference to outward deportment. A man is clumsy in his whole person, he is awkward in his gait and the movement of his limbs. Clumsiness is seen at the first view. Awkwardness is discovered only when a person begins to move. Hence the expressions, a clumsy appearance, and an awkward manner. When we speak figuratively of an awkward excuse, we think of a lack of ease and grace in making it; when we speak of a clumsy excuse, we think of the whole thing as coarse and stupid. We apply the term uncouth most frequently to that which results from the lack of instruction or training; as, uncouth manners; uncouth language.
— Awk′wb-a1′>′ward·ly (a̤k′wb-a1′>′weẽrd·ly̆), adverb — Awk′wb-a1′>′ward·ness, noun
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54