awkward
Syllables: awk·wardUK/ˈɔːk.wəd/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Northumbria/ˈaːk.wɐd/
awkward adjective: lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
Adjective
awkward (comparative more awkward, superlative most awkward)
- 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, gawky
- Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.
- That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.
- An awkward silence had fallen.
- Synonyms:
- recalcitrant
- Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.
- 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.
- Synonyms:
- cantankerous
Noun
awkward (plural awkwards)
- Someone or something that is awkward.
- 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.1912, Eliza Ripley, Social Life in Old New Orleans, Being Recollections of My Girlhood, New York, N.Y.; London: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC
- '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...1998, Leo Marks, Between Silk and Cyanide: The Story of SOE's Code War, London: HarperCollins, →ISBN
awkward meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
awkward in Hindi
- awkward, strained
- असहज ashaj
awkward in Tamil
- திறமையற்ற, அலங்கோலமான, அருவருப்புத்தருகிற, தடுமாற்றமுடைய, சீர்கேடான, மனக்குழப்பமான
awkward in Urdu
- awkward, clumsy, uncouth
- بونگا boṅgā
awkward in Bengali
- অপ্রতিভ, অস্বস্তিকর, আনাড়ি, বেমানান
More languagesFewer languages
- awkward in Telugu
- వికారము vikāramu
- awkward in Malayalam
- ഉപയോഗിക്കാൻ വിഷമമുളള, വിലക്ഷണമായ, കുഴഞ്ഞ
- awkward in Kannada
- ತೊಡಕಿನ, ಅಡ್ಡಾದಿಡ್ಡಿ, ಒಡ್ಡೊಡ್ಡಾದ, ಅವಲಕ್ಷಣವಾದ
- awkward in Punjabi
- ਕੁਚੱਜਾ kucajjā
- awkward in Tagalog
- asiwa, matungal
- awkward in Malay
- canggung
- awkward in Indonesian
- kikuk, canggung, memalukan
- awkward in Persian
- ناجور nâjur
Examples of awkward in a sentence
- Clearing up rock and fallen vegetation at such an awkward site required a team of specialist geoengineers.2020 August 26, Andrew Mourant, “Reinforced against future flooding”, in Rail, page 61:
- 'What periods are you talking about?' / 'The monthly awkwards.1998, Leo Marks, Between Silk and Cyanide: The Story of SOE's Code War, London: HarperCollins, →ISBN:
- And it's not fun to hang out with awkwards more than once.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...
Synonyms of awkward
Antonyms
Forms of awkward
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more awkward |
| superlative | most awkward |
| Noun | |
| plural | awkwards |
Origin of awkward
From awk (“odd, clumsy”) + -ward. Compare Middle English aukeward (“in the wrong direction”).
Words formed from awkward
Phrases with awkward
Questions about awkward
- What does awkward mean?
- Awkward means lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
- What is awkward in Hindi?
- Awkward in Hindi is असहज (ashaj). See Awkward meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use awkward in a sentence?
- Clearing up rock and fallen vegetation at such an awkward site required a team of specialist geoengineers.
- What part of speech is awkward?
- Awkward can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce awkward?
- Awkward is pronounced /ˈɔːk.wəd/ (UK).
Words near awkward in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: awkward (page history and authors); असहज (Hindi) (page history and authors); awkward (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); بونگا (Urdu) (page history and authors); awkward (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); వికారము (Telugu) (page history and authors); awkward (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); awkward (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਕੁਚੱਜਾ (Punjabi) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-ne-awkward.ogg, en-au-awkward.ogg.
Cite this entry: “awkward.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/awkward. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.