Awkward Word Meaning

late Middle English (in the sense ‘the wrong way round, upside down’): from dialect awk ‘backwards, perverse, clumsy’ (from Old Norse afugr ‘turned the wrong way’) + -ward

causing difficulty; hard to do or deal with

hard to do or deal with

• some awkward questions
• the wheelbarrow can be awkward to manoeuvre

causing or feeling uneasy embarrassment or inconvenience

causing or feeling embarrassment or inconvenience

• you have put me in a very awkward position
• I felt awkward standing in front of the whole class

not smooth or graceful; ungainly

ungainly

• Luther's awkward movements impeded his progress