awkward

English

WOTD – 19 July 2016

Etymology

From awk (“odd, clumsy”) +‎ -ward.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːkwəd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔkwɚd/
• (Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑkwɚd/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (US) (US cot-caught merged)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Hyphenation: awk‧ward

Adverb

awkward (comparative more awkward, superlative most awkward)

1. (obsolete) In a backwards direction.
   • a. 1472, Thomas Malory, “Capitulum X”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, OCLC 71490786; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: Published by David Nutt, […], 1889, OCLC 890162034:

     :

     Than groned the knyght for his grymme woundis, and gyrdis to Sir Gawayne and awkewarde hym strykes, and […] kut thorow a vayne […].

Adjective

awkward (comparative awkwarder or more awkward, superlative awkwardest or most awkward)

1. 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

   Antonyms: dexterous, gainly, graceful, handy, skillful

2. Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.

   That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.

   An awkward silence had fallen.

3. Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.

   I'm very awkward at parties.

   Things get very awkward whenever 60-year old men use cheesy pick-up lines on me.

   Synonym: maladroit

   Antonyms: amiable, cool

4. Perverse; adverse; difficult to handle.

   He's a right awkward chap.

   These cabinets are going to be very awkward when we move.

Derived terms

• awkwardly
• awkwardness

 

Translations

lacking dexterity in the use of the hands

• American Sign Language: 3@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown-3@SideChesthigh-PalmDown Upanddown-Upanddown
• Bulgarian: несръчен (bg) (nesrǎčen), непохватен (bg) (nepohvaten)
• Catalan: maldestre (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 別扭 (zh), 别扭 (zh) (bièniu)

• Czech: neobratný m, nešikovný m
• Dutch: onhandig (nl)
• Esperanto: mallerta
• Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
• French: maladroit (fr) m
• German: ungeschickt (de), unbeholfen, umständlich (de), tollpatschig (de), tölpelhaft (de), patschert (Austrian)
• Greek: αδέξιος (el) (adéxios)
• Icelandic: klunnalegur (is)
• Indonesian: canggung (id), kikuk (id)
• Interlingue: ínhabil
• Irish: crúbach

• Italian: maldestro (it), impacciato (it), goffo (it) m
• Japanese: 不器用な (ja) (bukiyō na), 不便な (ja) (fuben na)
• Latin: inconcinnus m
• Latvian: neveikls m
• Lithuanian: nerangus m
• Macedonian: не́згоден (nézgoden), несмасен m (nesmasen)
• Maori: ninipa
• Norwegian: klumsete, klønete
• 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)

not easily managed or effected; embarrassing

• American Sign Language: 3@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown-3@SideChesthigh-PalmDown Upanddown-Upanddown
• Bulgarian: неловък (bg) (nelovǎk), неудобен (bg) (neudoben)
• Czech: nepříjemný (cs) m
• Danish: akavet
• Dutch: ongemakkelijk (nl), genant
• Esperanto: konsterna, senaplombiga
• Finnish: vaikea (fi), hankala (fi), kiusallinen (fi)
• French: embarrassant (fr) m
• German: peinlich (de), betreten (de), unangenehm (de), umständlich (de), patschert (Austrian), beklemmend (de)
• Greek: δύσκολος (el) (dýskolos)
• Hungarian: kínos (hu)
• Icelandic: vandræðalegur (is), pínlegur
• Interlingue: embarassant
• Irish: anásta
• Italian: imbarazzato (it), poco opportuno, delicato (it), imbarazzante (it), inopportuno (it)

• Japanese: ぎごちない (gigochinai)
• Latvian: neveikls m
• Lithuanian: nejaukus m, nepatogus m
• Macedonian: не́згоден (nézgoden)
• Maori: tahangoi
• Norwegian: pinlig (no)
• Persian: ناجور‎ (fa) (nâjur)
• Polish: nieprzyjemny (pl) m
• Portuguese: constrangedor (pt), desconcertante (pt)
• Russian: нело́вкий (ru) (nelóvkij), неудо́бный (ru) (neudóbnyj), затрудни́тельный (ru) (zatrudnítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: embarazoso (es), delicado (es)
• Swedish: pinsam (sv), genant (sv), stel (sv)
• Turkish: kullanışsız (tr)
• Ukrainian: незручни́й (nezručnýj)

lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction

• Catalan: retret m
• German: peinlich (de), ungelenk (de), umständlich (de), schüchtern (de), unbeholfen, verlegen (de)
• Indonesian: canggung (id)
• Latvian: neveikls m

• Portuguese: tímido (pt) m, tímida (pt) f, inseguro m, insegura f
• Spanish: tímido (es), tímida (es)
• Swedish: stel (sv)

perverse; adverse; untoward

• Bulgarian: неприятен (bg) (neprijaten), неудобен (bg) (neudoben)
• Esperanto: maloportuna
• Finnish: tuskallinen (fi), vastenmielinen (fi), yököttävä (fi), piinallinen
• French: inconvenant (fr) m
• German: verdreht (de), verkorkst (de), Umstände machend, umständlich (de), unangenehm (de)
• Italian: scomodo (it), poco maneggevole, difficile (it)

• Macedonian: не́згоден (nézgoden), те́рсене (térsene)
• Polish: nieśmiały (pl)
• Portuguese: incómodo (pt) m
• Spanish: difícil (es), atravesado (es) m
• Turkish: garip (tr), uygunsuz (tr)

Noun

awkward (plural awkwards)

1. 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 2732890:

     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.