as in clumsiness
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Recent Examples of awkwardness
There’s the child, now grown, who sits near the bed, pretending to read but in fact is keeping restless watch; the child’s awkwardness in front of the parent’s nakedness; the fentanyl patches, for the last stations of pain.
—
James Wood, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Moving in the new year might also avoid potential awkwardness over the holidays as Sandringham is traditionally where the royal family gathers for the festive season.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Penguins star Sidney Crosby became the ninth player in NHL history to score 1,700 points, but acknowledged the awkwardness of speaking about the milestone while the fan incident was still unfolding.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
But the Khourys were different, self-consciously inclusive, inviting often inappropriate local guests—gun nuts, fellow pickleballers, smiling evangelicals, conspiracy theorists, and cabinetmakers—to their gatherings, despite the likely awkwardness.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
For the latest installment of Billboard Book Club, the trio behind Podcrushed — a podcast launched in 2022 to explore the awkwardness and heartbreak that defines adolescence — will talk about their Crushmore book, which continues the journey to unpack the importance of middle school self-discovery.
—Billboard Staff, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Schelling says honesty and openness trump awkwardness or evasion.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Carl Baker still finds an awkwardness in using the term.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Channel your inner comedian Humor is one of the best antidotes to awkwardness.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
James Wood, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Moving in the new year might also avoid potential awkwardness over the holidays as Sandringham is traditionally where the royal family gathers for the festive season.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Penguins star Sidney Crosby became the ninth player in NHL history to score 1,700 points, but acknowledged the awkwardness of speaking about the milestone while the fan incident was still unfolding.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
But the Khourys were different, self-consciously inclusive, inviting often inappropriate local guests—gun nuts, fellow pickleballers, smiling evangelicals, conspiracy theorists, and cabinetmakers—to their gatherings, despite the likely awkwardness.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
For the latest installment of Billboard Book Club, the trio behind Podcrushed — a podcast launched in 2022 to explore the awkwardness and heartbreak that defines adolescence — will talk about their Crushmore book, which continues the journey to unpack the importance of middle school self-discovery.
—Billboard Staff, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Schelling says honesty and openness trump awkwardness or evasion.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Carl Baker still finds an awkwardness in using the term.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Channel your inner comedian Humor is one of the best antidotes to awkwardness.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardness
Noun
-
The clumsiness feels important in other ways, too.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Police in Oklahoma witnessed the clumsiness of nature when a wildlife rescue turned from pure-hearted Disney moment into Discovery channel outtake, video shows.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Not two years later this tower was to collapse precipitately under its own weight into a pyramid of dust and rubble, only to be rebuilt later, in, unaccountably, all its former gracelessness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Awkwardness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardness. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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