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awkward

 
Dictionary: awk·ward   (ôk'wərd) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Not graceful; ungainly.
    1. Not dexterous; clumsy.
    2. Clumsily or unskillfully performed: The opera was marred by an awkward aria.
    1. Difficult to handle or manage: an awkward bundle to carry.
    2. Difficult to effect; uncomfortable: an awkward pose.
    1. Marked by or causing embarrassment or discomfort: an awkward remark; an awkward silence.
    2. Requiring great tact, ingenuity, skill, and discretion: An awkward situation arose during the peace talks.

[Middle English awkeward, in the wrong way : awke, wrong (from Old Norse öfugr, backward) + -ward, -ward.]

awkwardly awk'ward·ly adv.
awkwardness awk'ward·ness n.

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Thesaurus: awkward
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adjective

  1. Lacking dexterity and grace in physical movement: clumsy, gawky, graceless, inept, lumpish, maladroit, ungainly, ungraceful. Slang klutzy. Idioms: all thumbs. See ability/inability.
  2. Clumsily lacking in the ability to do or perform: bumbling, clumsy, gauche, heavy-handed, inept, maladroit, unskillful. See ability/inability.
  3. Characterized by inappropriateness and gracelessness, especially in expression: ill-chosen, inappropriate, inept, infelicitous, unfortunate, unhappy. See ability/inability, good/bad.
  4. Difficult to handle or manage: bulky, clumsy, ungainly, unhandy, unmanageable, unwieldy. See easy/hard.
  5. Characterized by embarrassment and discomfort: constrained, uncomfortable, uneasy. See feelings.

Antonyms: awkward
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adj

Definition: clumsy, inelegant
Antonyms: adroit, artful, dexterous, elegant, graceful, handy, skillful

adj

Definition: difficult
Antonyms: convenient, easy, straightforward

adj

Definition: embarrassing
Antonyms: clever


Word Tutor: awkward
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Not having grace or skill; clumsy. Uncomfortable.

pronunciation There was an awkward silence before she replied.

Misspellings: awkward
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Common misspelling(s) of awkward

  • ackward

Translations: Awkward
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - kluntet, ubekvem, akavet, kejtet

Nederlands (Dutch)
gênant, onaangenaam, lastig, onhandig, niet op zijn gemak, ongelegen

Français (French)
adj. - embarrassant, peu accessible, incommode, peu commode, peu maniable, mal conçu, malaisé, (Aut) malaisé à négocier (un virage), gauche (un style), maladroit, peu élégant

Deutsch (German)
adj. - unbeholfen, unhandlich, peinlich

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αδέξιος, άγαρμπος, άχαρος, άβολος, αμήχανος, στενόχωρος, σε δύσκολη θέση

Italiano (Italian)
penoso, goffo, maldestro, poco pratico, inadatto, imbarazzante

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - desajeitado, inábil, deselegante, desairoso

Русский (Russian)
неуклюжий, нескладный, непрактичный, неподходящий, щекотливый

Español (Spanish)
adj. - difícil, torpe, desgarbado, molesto, inoportuno, inadecuado, embarazoso

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - klumpig, generad, besvärlig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
笨拙的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 笨拙的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 서투른, 거북한, 귀찮은

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - ぶざまな, ぎこちない, 不器用な, 下手な, 扱いにくい, 不便な, やりにくい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) كربط, صعب المراس, , أخرق, غير قابل للإستعمال‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מגושם, לא-יוצלח, קשה לטיפול, לא נוח, מביך, נבוך, לא-נוח לשימוש‬


 
 
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embarrassed
cumbersome
unwieldy

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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