Main Entry: awk·ward
Pronunciation: \ˈȯ-kwərd\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English awkeward in the wrong direction, from awke turned the wrong way, from Old Norse ǫfugr; 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)
4 a : lacking ease or grace (as of movement or expression)
5 a : lacking social grace and assurance
6 : not easy to handle or deal with : requiring great skill, ingenuity, or care
2 archaic : unfavorable, adverse
3 a : lacking dexterity or skill (as in the use of hands)
4 a : lacking ease or grace (as of movement or expression)
5 a : lacking social grace and assurance
6 : not easy to handle or deal with : requiring great skill, ingenuity, or care
— awk·ward·ly adverb
— awk·ward·ness 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 awkward silence> . clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill clumsy mechanic>. maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations maladroit politician>. inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy inept defense attorney>. gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties> .
