1
as in clumsily
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2
as in ungracefully
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Recent Examples of awkwardly
The image of McIlroy awkwardly singing a few lines at a concert is almost as entertaining as the slip itself.
—
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
The result is wage compression at the bottom and explosive wealth creation at the top — with the upper-middle class caught awkwardly in between, statistically thriving but existentially anxious.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Washington is adapting, but awkwardly.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The four awkwardly smiled into the camera and fidgeted with their hands for 63 seconds before Wiseman grabbed the microphone to ask NASA administrator Jared Isaacman whether the call dropped.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Typical orthopedic shoulder pain usually occurs after an injury, overuse, sleeping awkwardly, lifting something heavy or repetitive motion, according to the doctor.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Instead, Encarnacion awkwardly went into a half dive and could only knock the ball down.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since leaving a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers after landing awkwardly on a dunk.
—Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since leaving a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers after landing awkwardly on a dunk.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
The result is wage compression at the bottom and explosive wealth creation at the top — with the upper-middle class caught awkwardly in between, statistically thriving but existentially anxious.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Washington is adapting, but awkwardly.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The four awkwardly smiled into the camera and fidgeted with their hands for 63 seconds before Wiseman grabbed the microphone to ask NASA administrator Jared Isaacman whether the call dropped.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Typical orthopedic shoulder pain usually occurs after an injury, overuse, sleeping awkwardly, lifting something heavy or repetitive motion, according to the doctor.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Instead, Encarnacion awkwardly went into a half dive and could only knock the ball down.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since leaving a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers after landing awkwardly on a dunk.
—Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since leaving a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers after landing awkwardly on a dunk.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardly
Adverb
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The four leads are overconfident and loutish, spending their time drinking, rambling, and clumsily working through their worries about the future.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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In the Connecticut cases, as well as hundreds of similar cases around the country, the lawyers used software that produced what appeared to be somewhat clumsily written but otherwise solid legal briefs.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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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
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Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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William Atherton’s Jerry Hathaway—the money-hungry mad king behind Project Crossbow—is unfortunately medium plausible.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Awkwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardly. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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