1
as in clumsily
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2
as in ungracefully
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of awkwardly
When hopelessly romantic Penny awkwardly meets dazzling musician Bianca at a supermarket, sparks fly — and so does Penny’s composure.
—
Sarah Kate Ellis, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026
Before kickoffs at this World Cup, the television broadcast has shown who is on the VAR team for the match by cutting to a remote studio where three officials stand and sit awkwardly in front of their replay monitors.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Big brown cows lounge in the grass as Avtan and Paz trudge up to a metal fence and smile awkwardly.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026
The show struggles with tonal consistency, too, awkwardly straddling the genres of revenge epic, dark comedy and domestic drama.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Yet this sits awkwardly alongside new restrictions on movement by the co-host United States.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
Images from his past are spliced together abruptly and rather awkwardly, an apt representation of the way his trauma continues to torment him.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
In 2024, two players landed awkwardly on his knee, causing a torn MCL in the season opener.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
In a video posted on social media by Boston reporter Marlee Wierda, Stevenson's left leg can be seen bending awkwardly as Rife lost his balance trying to run to second base during the rundown.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Sarah Kate Ellis, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026
Before kickoffs at this World Cup, the television broadcast has shown who is on the VAR team for the match by cutting to a remote studio where three officials stand and sit awkwardly in front of their replay monitors.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Big brown cows lounge in the grass as Avtan and Paz trudge up to a metal fence and smile awkwardly.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026
The show struggles with tonal consistency, too, awkwardly straddling the genres of revenge epic, dark comedy and domestic drama.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Yet this sits awkwardly alongside new restrictions on movement by the co-host United States.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
Images from his past are spliced together abruptly and rather awkwardly, an apt representation of the way his trauma continues to torment him.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
In 2024, two players landed awkwardly on his knee, causing a torn MCL in the season opener.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
In a video posted on social media by Boston reporter Marlee Wierda, Stevenson's left leg can be seen bending awkwardly as Rife lost his balance trying to run to second base during the rundown.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardly
Adverb
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Social-media platforms are filled with short-form videos that clumsily grapple with stigmas surrounding height supremacy.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
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What was being clumsily promoted was a potentially transformative piece of technology — a way to evaluate player performance, in tune with an algorithm that had been taught to think like Capello himself.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adverb
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The cost conversation, understandably, precedes all of this, and may (unfortunately) ward off some or all of you.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
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The police recommended that three felony charges be brought against Driscoll but unfortunately none of the children interviewed were willing to testify in court.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Awkwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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