1
as in clumsily
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2
as in ungracefully
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Recent Examples of awkwardly
The 6-foot-5 junior went down with just under five minutes remaining in the first half after awkwardly lunging for a loose ball.
—
Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser left the game after injuring his ankle while landing awkwardly while attempting to block a shot in the second quarter.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
While the umpires awkwardly walked off the field, and while each side’s dugout glanced around for confirmation, the Surprise Stadium public address announcer made the call.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
Map out entry points and ensure nothing forces guests to zigzag awkwardly around bulky furniture.
—Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
The episode began with Mark Ballas being murdered in front of the group and having to awkwardly lie down in a coffin surrounded by a ring of fire, because sure, why not?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
The 24-year-old first baseman is still a few days away from comfortably swinging a bat after a collision at first base Saturday when the Texas Rangers’ Mark Canha awkwardly hyperextended Long’s arm on his catch attempt.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
The foam panels can press awkwardly against the bust, forcing the vest to ride up toward the chin when arms are raised.
—Marisa McMillan, Outside, 27 Feb. 2026
To millennial fans, Duff will always be synonymous with the awkwardly endearing, big-hearted Lizzie McGuire.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser left the game after injuring his ankle while landing awkwardly while attempting to block a shot in the second quarter.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
While the umpires awkwardly walked off the field, and while each side’s dugout glanced around for confirmation, the Surprise Stadium public address announcer made the call.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
Map out entry points and ensure nothing forces guests to zigzag awkwardly around bulky furniture.
—Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
The episode began with Mark Ballas being murdered in front of the group and having to awkwardly lie down in a coffin surrounded by a ring of fire, because sure, why not?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
The 24-year-old first baseman is still a few days away from comfortably swinging a bat after a collision at first base Saturday when the Texas Rangers’ Mark Canha awkwardly hyperextended Long’s arm on his catch attempt.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
The foam panels can press awkwardly against the bust, forcing the vest to ride up toward the chin when arms are raised.
—Marisa McMillan, Outside, 27 Feb. 2026
To millennial fans, Duff will always be synonymous with the awkwardly endearing, big-hearted Lizzie McGuire.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardly
Adverb
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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
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Fleeing, not quite leaping and clumsily sort of galloping, is no easy matter for a snail (the starfish has thousands of ciliate foot like suction cups), and fighting is pure folly versus so many arms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 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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Others, unfortunately, are still waiting for their time to shine.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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But in John’s case, the result was crashing into the ocean, unfortunately.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Awkwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardly. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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