# awkward

Pronunciation: US say "AWK-wurd" /ˈɔkwɚd/; say "AWK-wuhd" UK /ˈɔːkwəd/, AUS /ˈoːkwəd/

## Adjective

1. Difficult to handle or manage, and often causing embarrassment or discomfort.
   - Simple: Hard to deal with, or causing an uncomfortable, embarrassing feeling.
   - _The interview hit an awkward moment when both candidates claimed the same achievement._
   - _Returning the gift without offending her proved unexpectedly awkward._
2. Lacking social skills, or feeling uncomfortable during social interaction.
   - Simple: Not good with people, or feeling uneasy around others.
   - _The new intern was friendly but painfully awkward in group meetings._
   - _Their first date stayed awkward until they discovered a shared hobby._
3. Lacking skill or coordination in the use of the hands or of instruments.
   - Simple: Not good at using your hands or tools, and clumsy with them.
   - _The young surgeon was still awkward with the finer instruments._
   - _Thick gloves made his fingers clumsy and awkward on the keyboard._
4. Stubbornly contrary or uncooperative, and therefore difficult to handle.
   - Simple: Hard to manage because a person or thing will not cooperate.
   - _He turned awkward the moment anyone suggested a compromise._
   - _The committee chair could be awkward whenever a decision went against him._

## Noun

5. A person or thing characterized by clumsiness, difficulty, or social discomfort.
   - Simple: A person or thing that is clumsy, difficult, or makes others feel uneasy.
   - _In every friend group there is an awkward who lingers at the edge of the conversation._
   - _Of all the rented machines, that printer was the awkward, jamming on every other page._

## Origin

Formed from 'awk' ("odd, clumsy") plus the ending '-ward'; compare Middle English 'aukeward' ("in the wrong direction").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/awkward (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).