Synonyms for awkward
ˈɔk wərdawk·ward

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. awkwardadjective

   Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments

   John was awkward at performing the trick. He'll have to practise to improve.

   Synonyms:
   lubberly, clumsy, ungraceful, unhandy

   Antonyms:
   skillful, dexterous, gainly, graceful

2. awkwardadjective

   Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction

   Synonyms:
   maladroit

   Antonyms:
   amiable, cool

English Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. awkward

   Awkward, from awk (kindred with off, from the Norwegian), is off-ward, turned the wrong way; it was anciently used of a back-handed or left-handed blow in battle, of squinting eyes, etc. Clumsy, on the other hand (from clumse, also through the Norwegian), signifies benumbed, stiffened with cold; this is the original meaning of clumsy fingers, clumsy limbs. Thus, awkward primarily refers to action, clumsy to condition. A tool, a vehicle, or the human frame may be clumsy in shape or build, awkward in motion. The clumsy man is almost of necessity awkward, but the awkward man may not be naturally clumsy. The finest untrained colt is awkward in harness; a horse that is clumsy in build can never be trained out of awkwardness. An awkward statement has an uncomfortable, and perhaps recoiling force; a statement that contains ill-assorted and incongruous material in ill-chosen language is clumsy. We speak of an awkward predicament, an awkward scrape. An awkward excuse commonly reflects on the one who offers it. We say the admitted facts have an awkward appearance. In none of these cases could clumsy be used. Clumsy is, however, applied to movements that seem as unsuitable as those of benumbed and stiffened limbs. A dancing bear is both clumsy and awkward.

   Synonyms:
   boorish, bungling, clownish, clumsy, gawky, maladroit, rough, uncouth, ungainly, unhandy, unskilful

   Antonyms:
   adroit, clever, dexterous, handy, skilful

   Preposition:
   The raw recruit is awkward in action; at the business.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. awkward

   Synonyms:
   ungainly, clownish, clumsy, maladroit, unhandy, uncouth, rough, boorish, bungling, gawky

   Antonyms:
   neat, clever, dexterous, skilful, adroit, handy

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. awkwardadjective

   causing inconvenience

   "they arrived at an awkward time"

   Synonyms:
   uneasy, inept, ill at ease(p), ill-chosen, inapt, ungainly, cumbersome, embarrassing, bunglesome, sticky, unenviable, clumsy

   Antonyms:
   graceful, convenient, smooth, lithesome, lissom, wieldy, willowy, gracile, gainly, fluid, comfortable, lissome, felicitous, fluent, svelte, liquid, sylphlike, elegant, supple, lithe, slender, easy

2. awkwardadjective

   lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance

   "an awkward dancer"; "an awkward gesture"; "too awkward with a needle to make her own clothes"; "his clumsy fingers produced an awkward knot"

   Synonyms:
   uneasy, inept, ill at ease(p), ill-chosen, inapt, ungainly, cumbersome, embarrassing, bunglesome, sticky, unenviable, clumsy

   Antonyms:
   liquid, lissom, lithe, supple, svelte, lissome, elegant, smooth, fluid, graceful, felicitous, sylphlike, easy, gracile, slender, comfortable, convenient, willowy, fluent, gainly, wieldy, lithesome

3. awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, ungainlyadjective

   difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape

   "an awkward bundle to carry"; "a load of bunglesome paraphernalia"; "clumsy wooden shoes"; "the cello, a rather ungainly instrument for a girl"

   Synonyms:
   unenviable, ungainly, ill-chosen, fumbling, clumsy, inapt, gawky, bunglesome, cumbersome, bungling, inept, incompetent, unwieldy, embarrassing, clunky, ill at ease(p), uneasy, sticky

   Antonyms:
   convenient, gracile, smooth, sylphlike, gainly, fluid, lissome, wieldy, easy, elegant, felicitous, willowy, fluent, slender, lithesome, graceful, svelte, liquid, lissom, comfortable, supple, lithe

4. awkward, clumsy, cumbersome, inapt, inept, ill-chosenadjective

   not elegant or graceful in expression

   "an awkward prose style"; "a clumsy apology"; "his cumbersome writing style"; "if the rumor is true, can anything be more inept than to repeat it now?"

   Synonyms:
   cumbrous, unenviable, feckless, ungainly, ill-chosen, tactless, fumbling, clumsy, inapt, gawky, bunglesome, cumbersome, bungling, inept, incompetent, unwieldy, embarrassing, clunky, ill at ease(p), uneasy, sticky

   Antonyms:
   fluid, liquid, svelte, elegant, felicitous, lithe, gracile, supple, lissom, gainly, wieldy, lissome, comfortable, easy, willowy, convenient, slender, graceful, lithesome, smooth, sylphlike, fluent

5. awkward, embarrassing, sticky, unenviableadjective

   hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment

   "awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion"; "an awkward pause followed his remark"; "a sticky question"; "in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign"

   Synonyms:
   mortifying, unenviable, ungainly, ill-chosen, clumsy, inapt, glutinous, mucilaginous, viscous, bunglesome, muggy, cumbersome, viscid, inept, embarrassing, gummy, ill at ease(p), gluey, pasty, uneasy, steamy, sticky

   Antonyms:
   lissome, wieldy, gainly, willowy, elegant, svelte, liquid, lithesome, slender, easy, supple, lissom, fluid, graceful, smooth, fluent, lithe, comfortable, gracile, felicitous, sylphlike, convenient

6. awkward, ill at ease(p), uneasyadjective

   socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner

   "awkward and reserved at parties"; "ill at ease among eddies of people he didn't know"; "was always uneasy with strangers"

   Antonyms:
   fluent, sylphlike, easy, wieldy, slender, smooth, fluid, liquid, willowy, graceful, elegant, lissom, felicitous, convenient, svelte, lithesome, supple, comfortable, lithe, gracile, gainly, lissome

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. gouche

   Submitted by anonymous on December 28, 2020  

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. awkwardadjective

   Synonyms:
   unskilful, bungling, unhandy, maladroit, inapt, without dexterity

2. awkwardadjective

   Synonyms:
   unwieldy, unmanageable, inconvenient, unfit, lumbering

3. awkwardadjective

   Synonyms:
   uncouth, unrefined, unpolished, uncourtly, rude, rough, clumsy, coarse, wooden, inelegant, ungainly, untoward, ungraceful, stiff, constrained, uneasy, rustic, boorish, clownish, loutish, gawky, lubberly, slouching

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. awkwardadjective

   Synonyms:
   clumsy, ungraceful, bungling, maladroit, gawky, inelegant, ungainly, loutish, unskillful, unwieldy, uncourtly, embarrassing

   Antonyms:
   graceful, dexterous, deft, courtly, elegant, adroit, clever

PPDB, the paraphrase database(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "awkward":

   embarrassing, clumsy, uncomfortable, inconvenient, weird, delicate, strange, butterhook, difficult, unpleasant, embarrassed, cumbersome, troublesome, thankless, sensitive, odd, tricky

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How to use awkward in a sentence?

1. Barbara Bush:

   I may not be the most eloquent, but I learned early that eloquence won't draw oil from the ground, i may sometimes be a little awkward, but there's nothing self-conscious in my love of country. I am Barbara Bush -- but I hear the quiet people others don't.

2. Ehsan Sehgal:

   The comparison is neither wrong nor awkward since it can enlighten and fragrance life journey if one understands that as the context of knowledge and insight of education, but not as competitive or complex.

3. Bob Goalby:

   The presentation ceremony was n’t what it could have been, i sat next to Roberto and did what I could to console him. There’s video of me patting him on the leg. I felt no elation, nothing like you ’d expect from winning the biggest tournament of your life. It was awkward. It was tragic for Roberto, but it was equally unfortunate for me.

4. Ehsan Sehgal:

   The Manism and Feminism, surpass all the limits, demanding awkward rights before adopting, realizing, and respecting their natural rights, which secure and assure real and virtuous status. Indeed, such nature constitutes the privacy of one's persona and dignity of life than the world-made rights, which represent privileges of motives, to hunt mostly feminism.

5. Frederic Neumann:

   China's demand stumble comes at an awkward time, just when more and more supply of raw materials is coming on stream in many sectors. No quick fix in sight, china's stock market stumble now risks knocking demand down further. What all this points to is the need for a lot more easing, including extra fiscal spending. China's economy is highly dependent on construction. With that engine sputtering, mainland commodity demand will struggle to make headway for a while.