awkward

[awk-werd] / ˈɔk wərd /

ADJECTIVE

clumsy, inelegant

Synonyms

STRONGEST

amateurish rude stiff

WEAK

all thumbs artless blundering bulky bumbling bungling butterfingers coarse floundering gawky graceless green having two left feet having two left hands incompetent inept inexpert klutzy lumbering maladroit oafish stumbling uncoordinated uncouth unfit ungainly ungraceful unhandy unpolished unrefined unskilled unskillful

Antonyms

WEAK

adroit artful clever convenient dexterous easy elegant graceful handy skillful straightforward

ADJECTIVE

difficult to handle

Synonyms

STRONGEST

annoying cumbersome dangerous inconvenient perilous risky troublesome uncomfortable unwieldy

WEAK

bulky chancy cramped disagreeable discommodious hard to use hazardous incommodious unhandy unmanageable

Antonyms

STRONGEST

convenient easy helpful safe secure

WEAK

adroit artful clever dexterous elegant graceful handy skillful straightforward

ADJECTIVE

embarrassing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

delicate difficult embarrassed inconvenient painful ticklish troublesome uncomfortable unpleasant

WEAK

compromising ill at ease inopportune perplexing sticky thorny trying untimely

Antonyms

STRONGEST

delightful easy helpful painless pleasant straightforward

WEAK

adroit artful clever convenient dexterous elegant graceful handy skillful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But there was no way to strip the room of my sheets without it seeming awkward.

From Literature

An awkward moment passes while I stare at him.

From Literature

Gangly and awkward, Bohm was not drafted out of high school or offered a scholarship by Nebraska, his school of choice.

From Los Angeles Times

The dispute between the government and Anthropic has put Palantir in an awkward situation.

From Barron's

She declines to say who else contended for it because “it would put others in an awkward position.”

From The Wall Street Journal