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English
Etymology
From awk (“odd, clumsy”) + -ward.
Pronunciation
Adverb
awkward (comparative more awkward, superlative most awkward)
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- (obsolete) In a backwards direction.
1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum X”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, by
William Caxton], published
31 July 1485,
→OCLC; republished as H
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 […].- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Adjective
awkward (comparative awkwarder or more awkward, superlative awkwardest or most awkward)
- Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
- Synonyms: clumsy, lubberly, ungraceful, unhandy
- Antonyms: dexterous, gainly, graceful, handy, skillful
John was awkward at performing the trick. He'll have to practice to improve.
- 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.
- Synonym: maladroit
- Antonyms: amiable, cool
I'm very awkward at parties.
Things got awkward when my boss tried a cheesy pick-up line on me.
- 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
Translations
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 (cs) 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 (no)
- 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)
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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)
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lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction
- Catalan: retret m
- Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
- German: peinlich (de), ungelenk (de), umständlich (de), schüchtern (de), unbeholfen (de), verlegen (de)
- Indonesian: canggung (id)
- Latvian: neveikls m
- Macedonian: неи́скусен (neískusen), не́смасен (nésmasen), непри́јатен (nepríjaten)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: klein (no)
- Portuguese: tímido (pt) m, tímida (pt) f, inseguro (pt) m, insegura f
- Spanish: tímido (es)
- Swedish: tafatt (sv), stel (sv)
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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)
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Noun
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.