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
Then Anthony Edwards — already hampered by his right knee — leapt to contest a Cam Johnson layup and came down super awkwardly on his left knee, leaving the game.
—
Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Seconds after tipoff, White awkwardly collided with an Adem Bona screen while pursuing Maxey.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
Lee awkwardly slid into home and banged up his quad in the process, a minor ailment that resulted in him being lifted from the game in the eighth inning.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Some audience members shout callouts, but not loudly or consistently enough to register, leaving the cast awkwardly straining to acknowledge jokes that barely land.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Lee, who had tried to step around Rushing and then reach behind him to tag the plate, then slid awkwardly and sat up in discomfort.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Lee slid awkwardly and stayed on the ground near home plate after the play.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … GAFFE MACHINE ROLLS — Biden awkwardly pulls trustee into spotlight and calls him ‘Barack’ at portrait unveiling.
—FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Seconds after tipoff, White awkwardly collided with an Adem Bona screen while pursuing Maxey.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
Lee awkwardly slid into home and banged up his quad in the process, a minor ailment that resulted in him being lifted from the game in the eighth inning.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Some audience members shout callouts, but not loudly or consistently enough to register, leaving the cast awkwardly straining to acknowledge jokes that barely land.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Lee, who had tried to step around Rushing and then reach behind him to tag the plate, then slid awkwardly and sat up in discomfort.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Lee slid awkwardly and stayed on the ground near home plate after the play.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … GAFFE MACHINE ROLLS — Biden awkwardly pulls trustee into spotlight and calls him ‘Barack’ at portrait unveiling.
—FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardly
Adverb
-
Many of the new changes in this version are clumsily presented.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
There are flying cars held at bay by the power of telekenesis and Park teleporting, as the crew clumsily accept their new ‘hero’ roles and attempt to take on the villains threatening the peace of Haeseong City.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 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
-
Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
And that played out, unfortunately, in beating myself up.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
If Dolphins are bad enough to get overall top pick -- which is unfortunately plausible.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Awkwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardly. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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