awkwardly

adverb

Definition of awkwardlynext
1
as in clumsily

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2
as in ungracefully

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of awkwardly Dart was injured on the first drive Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams when his left leg bent awkwardly as he was hit by two defenders. — Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 Venus in your daily-life zone connects awkwardly with Uranus in your sign, increasing your appetite for novelty, movement, or a different way of doing things. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026 Hofmann gives this awkwardly sized puppet life, energy and voice, controlling its body while castmates flit in and out as the manipulators of its wings. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026 Love of Your Life settles awkwardly into an empty film with beautiful images devoid of meaning. — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026 The plane touched down awkwardly before the pilots briefly attempted a go-around, then resumed braking, according to the NTSB. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Related Stories The 32-year-old Boeing 767 jet overran the runway by roughly 1,300 feet, touching down awkwardly. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 The Athletic stands there slightly awkwardly, simultaneously trying to see what’s going on while, at the same time, trying not to get in anyone’s way. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Alcaraz, the defending US Open champion, was awkwardly caught on camera when he was seemingly overcome with nausea after the fourth set of the taxing match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardly
  1. clumsily
  2. irrelevantly
  3. ineptly
  4. unfortunately
  5. gracelessly
Adverb
  • All the while, the question of whether they’re related by blood lurks in the background, kicked slowly down the road until the finale clumsily throws it into focus.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
  • What detracts from the film is the clumsily emphatic foreshadowing of a dramatic plot turn, which is pretty much spelled out by an alarm company technician who sells Miguel on the wisdom of upgrading to a next-level home security system.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsily
Adverb
  • Grandma, irrelevantly but convincingly, spoke of wars, blizzards and trekking barefoot to school.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of irrelevantly
Adverb
  • The collapse of the Constitution’s balance of powers between three branches of government got us into an unneeded war conducted ineptly.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of ineptly
Adverb
  • But unfortunately, touching stories of perseverance do not an episode of Below Deck make.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The British civil wars were, in part, fought because people wanted to create their own religious paths, but unfortunately that freedom did not generally lead to a kinder Christianity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunately
Adverb
  • This kind of beauty has nothing to do with perfection, which is distributed so arbitrarily and approximated so gracelessly.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Definition of gracelessly

Browse Nearby Words

awkward
awkwardly
awkwardness
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Cite this Entry

“Awkwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardly. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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