English dictionary



Hint: Question mark (?) is a wildcard. Question mark substitutes one character.

English adjective: awkward

1. awkward causing inconvenience


SamplesThey arrived at an awkward time.


Similarinconvenient


Antonymsconvenient

2. awkward lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance


SamplesAn awkward dancer.
An awkward gesture.
Too awkward with a needle to make her own clothes.
His clumsy fingers produced an awkward knot.


Similarclumsy, clunky, gawky, graceless, labored, laboured, strained, ungainly, ungraceful, unwieldy, wooden


See alsomaladroit, ugly


Antonymsgraceful

3. awkward difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape


SamplesAn awkward bundle to carry.
A load of bunglesome paraphernalia.
Clumsy wooden shoes.
The cello, a rather ungainly instrument for a girl.


Synonymsbunglesome, clumsy, ungainly


Similarunmanageable, unwieldy


Antonymswieldy

4. awkward not elegant or graceful in expression


SamplesAn awkward prose style.
A clumsy apology.
His cumbersome writing style.
If the rumor is true, can anything be more inept than to repeat it now?.


Synonymsclumsy, cumbersome, ill-chosen, inapt, inept


Similarinfelicitous


Antonymsfelicitous

5. awkward hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment


SamplesAwkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion.
An awkward pause followed his remark.
A sticky question.
In the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign.


Synonymsembarrassing, sticky, unenviable


Similardifficult, hard


Antonymseasy

6. awkward socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner


SamplesAwkward and reserved at parties.
Ill at ease among eddies of people he didn't know.
Was always uneasy with strangers.


Synonymsill at ease, uneasy


Similaruncomfortable


Antonymscomfortable









Based on WordNet 3.0 copyright © Princeton University.
Web design: Orcapia v/Per Bang. English edition: .
2025 onlineordbog.dk