Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Not graceful; ungainly.
- adjective Not dexterous; clumsy.
- adjective Clumsily or unskillfully performed.
- adjective Difficult to handle or manage.
- adjective Difficult to effect; uncomfortable.
- adjective Marked by or causing embarrassment or discomfort.
- adjective Requiring great tact, ingenuity, skill, and discretion.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In the wrong direction; in the wrong way; backward.
- Asquint.
- Awkwardly; clumsily.
- Turned the wrong way; backhanded.
- Perverted; perverse.
- Untoward; adverse.
- Ill adapted for use or handling; unhandy in operation; clumsy: as, awkward instruments or contrivances.
- Wanting dexterity or skill in action or movement; clumsy in doing anything, as in using tools or implements; bungling.
- Ungraceful in action or person; ungainly; uncouth: as, awkward gestures; the awkward gambols of the elephant.
- Embarrassed; not at ease: used in relation to persons: as, an awkward feeling.
- Not easily dealt with; troublesome; vexatious; requiring caution: as, an awkward predicament.
- Unlucky.
- Synonyms and Awkward, Clumsy, Ungainly, Uncouth, Bungling, unhandy, inexpert, unskilful, inapt, lubberly; uncourtly, inelegant, constrained, clownish. Awkward is generally applied to want of ease and grace or skill in bodily movement, especially of the arms or legs: as, an awkward gait; awkward in the use of a tool. Clumsy starts from the notion of heaviness, and consequent unwieldiness or awkwardness in use; it is applicable to the whole body or to any part of it, even when still: as, a clumsy figure; clumsy hands. This difference is also found in the figurative use of the words: a clumsy excuse is one that is put together badly; an awkward excuse is one that may be good, but is not gracefully presented. Ungainly, literally unhandsome, not pleasing to the eye, is applied generally to awkwardness of appearance. Uncouth, literally unknown, uncommon, and so, by a bit of human conceit, uninstructed, untrained, unrefined, sometimes even rude, barbarous: as, uncouth phrases, manners. Bungling, awkward in doing, handling awkwardly, spoiling by awkwardness, in either literal or figurative use: as, he made bungling work of it.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Wanting dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not dexterous; without skill; clumsy; wanting ease, grace, or effectiveness in movement; ungraceful
- adjective Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.
- adjective obsolete Perverse; adverse; untoward.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb obsolete In a
backwards direction. - adjective Lacking
dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments - adjective Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing
- adjective Lacking
social skills, oruncomfortable with social interaction - adjective
Perverse ;adverse ; difficult tohandle
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance
- adjective socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner
- adjective difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape
- adjective not elegant or graceful in expression
- adjective hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
- adjective causing inconvenience
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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MISCELLANEOUS WORDS. adobe _ado'ba_ algebra not _bra_ alien _alyen_, not _alien_ ameliorate _amelyorate_ antarctic _antarktik_ anti not _anti_ archangel _arkangel_ archbishop _arch_, not _ark_ arch fiend _arch_, not _ark_ architect _arkitect_ awkward _awkward_, not _ard_
Practical Grammar and Composition Thomas Wood
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Google is betting that its new social network, Google+, will fix what it calls the "awkward" state of online sharing--but Google isn't sharing invitations to its latest project with everyone.
Want A Google+ Invitation? How To Sign Up For Google's Social Network 2011
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After Mark Zuckerberg moved his social network from Cambridge, Mass., to Palo Alto, Calif., adviser Sean Parker persuaded him to drop what he called the awkward article.
An Article of Faith for Marketers: Place No Faith in Articles Geoffrey A. Fowler 2011
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After Mark Zuckerberg moved his social network from Cambridge, Mass., to Palo Alto, Calif., adviser Sean Parker persuaded him to drop what he called the awkward article.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed Michael Kesterton 2011
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In fact, I don't think the term "awkward" is appropriate.
Archive 2009-05-10 Tyler 2009
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In fact, I don't think the term "awkward" is appropriate.
An awkward picture is worth way more than a thousand words Tyler 2009
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I don't know if "awkward" is the right word to use here Wolf.
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That was followed by what might be called an awkward moment.
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The constant cussing sailed right upstairs to the rest of the family, who sat around in awkward silence.
'Dirty Dancing' Christmas marathon: Pssst, your father's coming. | EW.com 2009
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I agree on the Freemind and found Personal Brain awkward for my learning curve.
The Collaboration Matrix or Why 1+1 = 3 | Write to Done 2009
mikeropology commented on the word awkward
I've always liked how the a-w-k-w-a part is palindromesque.
January 16, 2008
yarb commented on the word awkward
Yes, and someone who's no use with paper and pencil might be drawkward.
January 16, 2008
reesetee commented on the word awkward
Apparently that describes uselessness. The rest of us just aren't saying. ;-)
January 16, 2008
uselessness commented on the word awkward
It's tragic that I consider myself to be a designer, really. Without software I am nothing.
January 16, 2008
reesetee commented on the word awkward
Oh, I very much doubt that!
January 16, 2008
sonofgroucho commented on the word awkward
I'm definitely drawkward. Virtually druseless, in fact.
January 25, 2008
whichbe commented on the word awkward
When someone uses awk.
November 14, 2008