Adjacent Words

Awkward definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AWK'WARD, a. [awk and ward.]
1. Wanting dexterity in the use of the hands or of instruments; unready; not dexterous; bungling; untoward.
2. Inelegant; unpolite; ungraceful in manners; clumsy; unnatural; bad.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: causing inconvenience; "they arrived at an awkward time"
2: 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" [ant: graceful]
3: 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" [syn: awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, ungainly]
4: 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?" [syn: awkward, clumsy, cumbersome, inapt, inept, ill-chosen]
5: 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" [syn: awkward, embarrassing, sticky, unenviable]
6: 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" [syn: awkward, ill at ease, uneasy]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English awkeward in the wrong direction, from awke turned the wrong way, from Old Norse ?fugr; akin to Old High German abuh turned the wrong way Date: 1530 1. obsolete perverse 2. archaic unfavorable, adverse 3. a. lacking dexterity or skill (as in the use of hands) <awkward with a needle and thread> b. showing the result of a lack of expertness <awkward pictures> 4. a. lacking ease or grace (as of movement or expression) <awkward writing> b. lacking the right proportions, size, or harmony of parts ; ungainly <an awkward design> 5. a. lacking social grace and assurance <an awkward newcomer> b. causing embarrassment <an awkward moment> 6. not easy to handle or deal with ; requiring great skill, ingenuity, or care <an awkward load> <an awkward diplomatic situation> • awkwardly adverb • awkwardness noun Synonyms: 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 <a clumsy mechanic>. maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations <a maladroit politician>. 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>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 ill-adapted for use; causing difficulty in use. 2 clumsy or bungling. 3 a embarrassed (felt awkward about it). b embarrassing (an awkward situation). 4 difficult to deal with (an awkward customer). Phrases and idioms: the awkward age adolescence. Derivatives: awkwardly adv. awkwardness n. Etymology: obs. awk backhanded, untoward (ME f. ON afugr turned the wrong way) + -WARD

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Awkward Awk"ward, 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 awkward boy. And dropped an awkward courtesy. --Dryden. 2. Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing. A long and awkward process. --Macaulay. An awkward affair is one that has gone wrong, and is difficult to adjust. --C. J. Smith. 3. Perverse; adverse; untoward. [Obs.] ``Awkward casualties.'' ``Awkward wind.'' --Shak. O blind guides, which being of an awkward religion, do strain out a gnat, and swallow up a cancel. --Udall. Syn: Ungainly; unhandy; clownish; lubberly; gawky; maladroit; bungling; inelegant; ungraceful; unbecoming. Usage: 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 want 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 want of instruction or training; as, uncouth manners; uncouth language. -- Awk"ward*ly, adv. -- Awk"ward*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. 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 next to their partners. = tricky ADJ • awkwardly There was an awkwardly long silence. ADV: ADV adj/-ed 2. Something that is awkward to use or carry is difficult to use or carry because of its design. A job that is awkward is difficult to do. It was small but heavy enough to make it awkward to carry... Full-size tripods can be awkward, especially if you're shooting a low-level subject. = tricky ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to-inf • awkwardly The autoexposure button is awkwardly placed under the lens release button. ADV: ADV -ed 3. An awkward movement or position is uncomfortable or clumsy. Amy made an awkward gesture with her hands. ADJ • awkwardly He fell awkwardly and went down in agony clutching his right knee... ADV: ADV with v 4. Someone who feels awkward behaves in a shy or embarrassed way. Women frequently say that they feel awkward taking the initiative in sex... = uncomfortable ADJ • awkwardly 'This is Malcolm,' the girl said awkwardly, to fill the silence. ADV: ADV with v 5. If you say that someone is awkward, you are critical of them because you find them unreasonable and difficult to live with or deal with. She's got to an age where she is being awkward. ADJ [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Unskilful, bungling, unhandy, maladroit, inapt, clumsy, without dexterity. 2. Unwieldy, lumbering, unmanageable, inconvenient, unfit. 3. Uncouth, unrefined, unpolished, uncourtly, rude, rough, clumsy, coarse, wooden, inelegant, ungainly, untoward, ungraceful, stiff, constrained, uneasy, rustic, boorish, clownish, loutish, gawky, lubberly, slouching.

Moby Thesaurus

Latinate, all thumbs, blankminded, blunderheaded, blundering, bombastic, boorish, bulky, bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, callow, careless, clownish, clumsy, clumsy-fisted, confused, contrary, cramped, crosswise, crushing, cumbersome, cumbrous, dangerous, delicate, difficult, discomfited, discommodious, disconcerted, disconcerting, disturbing, dumb, elephantine, embarrassed, embarrassing, empty, empty-headed, fingers all thumbs, forced, formal, fumbling, gauche, gawkish, gawky, graceless, green, groping, guinde, halting, ham-fisted, ham-handed, hazardous, heavy, heavy-handed, hulking, hulky, humiliating, ignorant, ill at ease, ill-chosen, impractical, inane, incommodious, inconvenient, inefficient, inelegant, inept, inexperienced, inexpert, inkhorn, innocent, know-nothing, labored, leaden, left-hand, left-handed, loutish, lubberly, lumbering, lumpish, lumpy, maladroit, massive, massy, mortifying, naive, nescient, oafish, out of place, perilous, perverse, pompous, ponderous, precarious, raw, rigid, risky, sensitive, sesquipedalian, shamefaced, simple, sloppy, splay, sticky, stiff, stilted, strange to, tentative, ticklish, touchy, tricky, troublesome, trying, turgid, unacquainted, unapprized, uncomfortable, uncomprehending, unconversant, uncouth, undexterous, uneasy, unenlightened, unfamiliar, unfortunate, ungainly, ungraceful, unhandy, unhappy, unilluminated, uninformed, uninitiated, unintelligent, unknowing, unmanageable, unpleasant, unposted, unripe, unskilled, unskillful, unsure, unversed, unwieldy, vacuous, wooden