awkward

awkward
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
adj. clumsy, ungraceful, ungainly; gauche; embarrassing. See unskillfulness, difficulty. Ant., adroit, dexterous.
II
(Roget's IV) modif.
1. [Unskillful]
Syn. clumsy, inept, maladroit, ungainly, uncoordinated, gawky, ungraceful, unskillful, bungling, fumbling, floundering, stumbling, lacking dexterity, inexpert, unskilled, unhandy, unpolished, gauche, stiff, graceless, bumbling, blundering, uncouth, inexperienced, incompetent, rusty, unused to, green, amateurish, butterfingered*, all thumbs*, cloddish*, clodhopping*, botchy*, with two left feet*, left-handed*, hamhanded*, klutzy*.
Ant. graceful*, dexterous, smooth.
2. [Inconvenient]
Syn. unwieldy, cumbersome, ponderous, inconvenient, incommodious, disagreeable, cramped; see also heavy 1 , uncomfortable 2 .
3. [Embarrassing]
Syn. inconvenient, inopportune, touchy, delicate; see embarrassing .
4. [Uncomfortable]
Syn. ill at ease, embarrassed, out of place, self-conscious; see ashamed , uncomfortable 1 .
Syn.- awkward implies unfitness for smooth, easy functioning and has the broadest application of the terms here, suggesting ungracefulness, unwieldiness, inconvenience or embarrassment [ an awkward dancer, implement, step, position, silence ] ; clumsy , emphasizing stiffness or bulkiness, suggests a lack of flexibility, dexterity, or adroitness, unwieldiness or tactlessness [ a clumsy build, clumsy galoshes, a clumsy apology ] ; maladroit and inept both imply tactlessness in social relations, maladroit often emphasizing this as a tendency and inept stressing inappropriateness of a particular act or remark [inept praise ] ; inept can also refer to general lack of skill or competence
III
(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.
1. clumsy bumbling, oafish, ungraceful, bungling, ungainly, maladroit, inept, *klutzy, blundering.
2. unwieldy cumbersome, bulky, ponderous.
3. uncomfortable embarrassing, inappropriate, untimely, thorny, delicate, trying, ticklish.
ANT.: 1. coordinated, graceful. 2. handy, convenient. 3. appropriate, relaxing, smooth
IV
(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Lacking dexterity and grace in physical movement: clumsy, gawky, graceless, inept, lumpish, maladroit, ungainly, ungraceful. Slang: klutzy. Idiom: all thumbs. See ABILITY. 2. Clumsily lacking in the ability to do or perform: bumbling, clumsy, gauche, heavy-handed, inept, maladroit, unskillful. See ABILITY. 3. Characterized by inappropriateness and gracelessness, especially in expression: ill-chosen, inappropriate, inept, infelicitous, unfortunate, unhappy. See ABILITY, GOOD. 4. Difficult to handle or manage: bulky, clumsy, ungainly, unhandy, unmanageable, unwieldy. See EASY. 5. Characterized by embarrassment and discomfort: constrained, uncomfortable, uneasy. See FEELINGS.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • awkward — awkward, clumsy, maladroit, inept, gauche mean not adapted by constitution or character to act, operate, or achieve the intended or desired ends with ease, fitness, or grace. Awkward and clumsy are by far the widest of these terms in their range… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Awkward — Awk ward ([add]k we[ e]rd), a. [Awk + ward.] 1. Wanting dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not dexterous; without skill; clumsy; wanting ease, grace, or effectiveness in movement; ungraceful; as, he was awkward at a trick; an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • awkward — [ôk′wərd] adj. [ME aukward < ON ǫfugr, turned backward + OE weard, WARD] 1. not having grace or skill; clumsy, as in form or movement; bungling [an awkward dancer, an awkward style] 2. inconvenient to use; hard to handle; unwieldy [an awkward… …   English World dictionary

  • Awkward — Titre original Awkward Genre Comédie Créateur(s) Lauren Iungerich Acteurs principaux Ashley Rickards Beau Mirchoff Brett Davern Sadie Saxon Pays d’origine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • awkward — [adj1] clumsy, inelegant all thumbs*, amateurish, artless, blundering, bulky, bumbling, bungling, butterfingers*, coarse, floundering, gawky, graceless, green*, having two left feet*, having two left hands*, incompetent, inept, inexpert, klutzy* …   New thesaurus

  • awkward — index difficult, improper, inadept, incompetent, inelegant, inept (incompetent), ponderous, unbecoming …   Law dictionary

  • awkward — (adj.) mid 14c., in the wrong direction, from AWK (Cf. awk) back handed + adverbial suffix weard (see WARD (Cf. ward)). Meaning clumsy first recorded 1520s. Related: Awkwardly. Other formations from awk, none of them surviving, were awky, awkly,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • awkward — ► ADJECTIVE 1) hard to do or deal with. 2) causing or feeling embarrassment. 3) inconvenient. 4) clumsy. DERIVATIVES awkwardly adverb awkwardness noun. ORIGIN from obsolete …   English terms dictionary

  • awkward — awk|ward S2 [ˈo:kwəd US ˈo:kwərd] adj [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: awk turned the wrong way (15 17 centuries) (from Old Norse öfugr) + ward] 1.) making you feel embarrassed so that you are not sure what to do or say = ↑difficult ▪ I hoped he would… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • awkward — adj. 1) awkward with (he is awkward with children) 2) (BE) awkward for (Monday is awkward for me) 3) awkward to + inf. (it is awkward to discuss such matters in public = it is awkward discussing such matters in public) * * * [ ɔːkwəd] (BE)… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • awkward — [[t]ɔ͟ːkwə(r)d[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED An awkward situation is embarrassing and difficult to deal with. I was the first to ask him awkward questions but there ll be harder ones to come... There was an awkward moment as couples decided whether to stand …   English dictionary

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