Dictionary / awkward
awkward
- adjective
- noun
- formed in English
Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands or of tools.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “awkward” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective
- Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands or of tools.
John was awkward at performing the trick. He'll have to practice to improve.
- Not easily managed; embarrassing.
That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.
- Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.
I'm very awkward at parties.
- Perverse; adverse; difficult to handle.
He's a right awkward chap.
noun
- Someone or something that is awkward.
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.1912, Eliza Ripley, Social Life in Old New Orleans, Being Recollections of My Girlhood, New York, N.Y.; London: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
Cross-check: WordNet senses (6)
- adjectivecausing inconvenience
- adjectivelacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance
- adjectivedifficult to handle or manage especially because of shape — also: bunglesome, clumsy, ungainly
- adjectivenot elegant or graceful in expression — also: clumsy, cumbersome, inapt, inept, ill-chosen
- adjectivehard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment — also: embarrassing, sticky, unenviable
- adjectivesocially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner — also: ill at ease, uneasy
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)awkward
- Englishawk “odd, clumsy” + -ward
From awk (“odd, clumsy”) + -ward. Compare Middle English aukeward (“in the wrong direction”).
Derivatives — words built from “awkward”
Phrases & compounds
Want to go deeper? See also “awkward” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “awkward” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
awkward a. [Awk + -ward.]
- 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 awkward boy.
- Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.
- Perverse; adverse; untoward.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands or of tools.
John was awkward at performing the trick. He'll have to practice to improve.
adjectiveMeaning: Not easily managed; embarrassing.
That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.
An awkward silence had fallen.
adjectiveMeaning: Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.
I'm very awkward at parties.
adjectiveMeaning: Perverse; adverse; difficult to handle.
He's a right awkward chap.
These cabinets are going to be very awkward when we move.
nounMeaning: Someone or something that is awkward.
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.1912, Eliza Ripley, Social Life in Old New Orleans, Being Recollections of My Girlhood, New York, N.Y.; London: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
That is a way to make awkwards. And it's not fun to hang out with awkwards more than once.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:
adjectiveMeaning: causing inconvenience
they arrived at an awkward time
adjectiveMeaning: lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance
an awkward dancer
an awkward gesture
adjectiveMeaning: difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape
an awkward bundle to carry
adjectiveMeaning: not elegant or graceful in expression
an awkward prose style
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
awkward
/ˈɔːk.wəd/ · awk·ward
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
awkward
/ˈɔːk.wəd/ · awk·ward · adjective, noun
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “awkward” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“John was awkward at performing the trick. He'll have to practice to improve.”
Circle the meaning used.
“That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.”
Circle the meaning used.
“I'm very awkward at parties.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “awkward” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — awkward
Which meaning, sentence 1: B. Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands or of tools.
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. Not easily managed; embarrassing.
Which meaning, sentence 3: B. Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.
Origin: A. English
Journey: English awkward ← English awk + -ward
Some derivatives: awkwardish, awkwardly, awkwardness, awkweird, awky, unawkward
Built from: awk “odd, clumsy” + -ward
Etymology: From awk (“odd, clumsy”) + -ward. Compare Middle English aukeward (“in the wrong direction”).
Sources: Wiktionary “awkward” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/awkward#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/awkward