Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use awkwardness in a sentence

16 example sentences · noun

Awkwardness means the state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness. Example: “Such awkwardnesses indicate that Lenin was conscious of the daily erosion of what few democratic institutions remained, but wished from time to time to invoke the virtuous-sounding name of democracy.”

Examples of awkwardness by meaning

nounThe quality of an embarrassing situation.

  • Such awkwardnesses indicate that Lenin was conscious of the daily erosion of what few democratic institutions remained, but wished from time to time to invoke the virtuous-sounding name of democracy.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon...

More sentences with awkwardness

  • Now that the awkwardness had settled, they could be just friends.2017 November, N. K. Jemisin, Mac Walters, chapter 13, in Mass Effect Andromeda: Initiation, 1st edition (Science Fiction), Titan Books…. From the entry just friends
  • After this period , the pall of awkwardness has indel- ibly clouded the car .2011 May 24, Phineas Mollod, Jason Tesauro, The Modern Gentleman, 2nd Edition: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy, and Vice, Ten Speed…. From the entry elevatorial
  • The Moscow experts on treffs perform their duty with ponderous, often ridiculous, awkwardness.1955, David J. Dallin, Soviet Espionage, page 495. From the entry treff
  • One sock gone here, one earring there, leaving The left-behinds in incompleteness and dismay, In awkwardness amounting to disorientation.2014, Bagels with the Bards #9, →ISBN, page 34. From the entry left-behind
  • Despite her subtle awkwardness there was a sweetness about her.2000, Mark A. Hess, The Same Mistake, →ISBN, page 209. From the entry doplic
  • To commonplace actions he brought a special pedantic awkwardness.1970, Saul Bellow, chapter 1, in Mr. Sammler’s Planet, Greenwich, CT: Fawcett, published 1971, page 11. From the entry unacquainted
  • Taffy's cynophobia, expressed in spitting, growling, melancholy miauling, served to ease the awkwardness of greeting between unprepared hostess and uninvited guest.1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 337. From the entry cynophobia
  • Then, as usual, the sheep broke into "Four legs good, two legs bad!" and the momentary awkwardness was smoothed over.1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […]…. From the entry break into
  • In wood engraving every line is forced along its direction, and the very awkwardness of the operation ultimately gives an authority to the printed line.1969, Journal of the Printing Historical Society - Issues 5-6, page 62. From the entry acrography
  • The motor coordinations are lost for a moment, all the ways of awkwardness, mannerisms, and semi-imperative acts manifest themselves as a result.1909, Tadasu Misawa, Modern Educators and Their Ideals, D. Appleton and Company, pages 280-281. From the entry overprecision
  • For the most part, however, his hunched, twitchy, wide-eyed take doesn’t seem like a believable portrait of social awkwardness so much as just a forced, awkward performance.2021 September 22, Caroline Siede, “Dear Evan Hansen is a misfire on just about every level”, in AV Club. From the entry twitchy
  • If you really are a male feminist, whatever social awkwardness you might be suffering should never be confused with something so gross as Nice Guy Syndrome.2016, “Coquette”, in [The Best of] Dear Coquette: Shady Advice from a Raging Bitch Who Has No Business Answering Any of These Questions…. From the entry nice guy syndrome
  • The want of success of these names may be attributed to their awkwardness in sound or sense; "erythrocyte" seems the best of them, but is unfortunately four-syllabled.1901 March 23, Ch. S. Sherrington, “The name of the red corpuscle: a suggestion”, in British Medical Journal, page 742. From the entry erythrocyte
  • There is a brief moment of awkwardness, while the host finds an empty chair and pours a fresh cup of tea; but the conversation, and village life, soon flow on.2005, Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization, page 82. From the entry accommodation
  • His body, though thin, looked oversized and ungainly, his limbs poorly knit together; he appeared to conquer his tendency to awkwardness by making only the smallest, most deliberate of movements.1962, Edward [Ronald] Weismiller, chapter XI, in The Serpent Sleeping, New York, N.Y.: Putnam, →OCLC; republished London; Portland, Or.…. From the entry ungainly

Meaning of awkwardness

  1. noun The state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness.
  2. noun The quality of an embarrassing situation.

Full definition of awkwardness

Questions about awkwardness in a sentence

How do you use awkwardness in a sentence?
Awkwardness is used as a noun. For example: “Such awkwardnesses indicate that Lenin was conscious of the daily erosion of what few democratic institutions remained, but wished from time to time to invoke the virtuous-sounding name of democracy.”
What is a short sentence with awkwardness?
“To commonplace actions he brought a special pedantic awkwardness.”
What does awkwardness mean?
Awkwardness means the state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: awkwardness (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use awkwardness in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/awkwardness. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.