1
: having or showing a lack of grace, skill, or ease (as in a movement or activity)
an awkward public speaker
awkward with his hands
awkward at sports
… escaped a knee injury after an awkward landing …—
Cam Inman
Cam Inman… light verse, with some awkward phrasing.—Jonathan Bate
Jonathan Bate3
a
: lacking social grace and assurance
a shy and awkward teenager
is awkward with strangers
b
: causing embarrassment
an awkward moment
c
: embarrassed
felt awkward about the misunderstanding
4
a
: not easy to handle or deal with (as due to size, shape, or position)
working at an awkward angle
It's not heavy—it's just awkward.
The controls are awkward to use.
b
: requiring great skill, ingenuity, or care
an awkward diplomatic situation
5
obsolete
: perverse
6
archaic
: unfavorable, adverse
awkwardly
adverb
awkwardness
noun
Examples of awkward in a Sentence
I was electrified by what I learned in college. Still socially awkward, I had the bad habit of stopping strangers in the street to pour my heart out about the latest marvel I had learned.
—Jaron Lanier, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005
Greene must have known that such men would not spill the beans about his irregular life or ask awkward questions, though Burgess famously teased him for being … a poseur, and was banished.
—Paul Theroux, New York Times Book Review, 17 Oct. 2004
On the ground, vultures are hunched and awkward bundles of feathers, but in the air, where I watch them during much of the day, they are magnificent graceful soarers.
—Words From the Land, Stephen Trimble, editor, 1988
She is awkward at dancing.
He had large feet and his walk was awkward and ungainly.
The story contained some awkward writing.
She is an awkward writer.
The machine is very awkward to operate.
I often find myself in awkward situations.
He was put in the awkward position of having to write the memo.
There was an awkward pause in the conversation.
He feels awkward with strangers.
Jaron Lanier, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005
Greene must have known that such men would not spill the beans about his irregular life or ask awkward questions, though Burgess famously teased him for being … a poseur, and was banished.
—Paul Theroux, New York Times Book Review, 17 Oct. 2004
On the ground, vultures are hunched and awkward bundles of feathers, but in the air, where I watch them during much of the day, they are magnificent graceful soarers.
—Words From the Land, Stephen Trimble, editor, 1988
She is awkward at dancing.
He had large feet and his walk was awkward and ungainly.
The story contained some awkward writing.
She is an awkward writer.
The machine is very awkward to operate.
I often find myself in awkward situations.
He was put in the awkward position of having to write the memo.
There was an awkward pause in the conversation.
He feels awkward with strangers.
Recent Examples on the Web
The awkward part about this list is that the teams at the top are the ones with the hardest schedules.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The request went to Jackson, the justice who handles emergency appeals from that part of the country, putting one of the court's three liberal justices in the awkward position of granting a request from the administration on an issue of top concern for Democrats.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Despite a somewhat awkward attempt at a South African accent, Pike dominates her villainous role as always, the franchise’s most dangerous yet and a perfect surrogate for the Elon Musks of the world.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025
The lighthearted, yet slightly awkward moment stood out as a rarity among a season of tense uncertainty for McDaniel and the Dolphins, who sit at 3-7 on the year with increasingly long odds to make the playoffs.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for awkward
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Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The request went to Jackson, the justice who handles emergency appeals from that part of the country, putting one of the court's three liberal justices in the awkward position of granting a request from the administration on an issue of top concern for Democrats.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Despite a somewhat awkward attempt at a South African accent, Pike dominates her villainous role as always, the franchise’s most dangerous yet and a perfect surrogate for the Elon Musks of the world.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025
The lighthearted, yet slightly awkward moment stood out as a rarity among a season of tense uncertainty for McDaniel and the Dolphins, who sit at 3-7 on the year with increasingly long odds to make the playoffs.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for awkward
Cite this Entry
“Awkward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awkward. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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