awkward

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Making you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.

   That was an awkward moment; everyone went quiet.

2. 2
   adj

   Uncomfortable with social situations; not relaxed around others.

   I'm very awkward at parties and never know what to say.

3. 3
   adj

   Difficult to use, handle, or deal with.

   The box was an awkward shape to carry.

4. 4
   adj

   Inconvenient; causing difficulty.

   They arrived at an awkward time, just as we were leaving.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Awkward was formed from the obsolete word awk, based on Old Norse afugr, “turned the wrong way round.” It originally meant “in the wrong direction,” “in reverse order,” or “upside down”; the sense “clumsy” developed in the 16th century, followed by senses such as “embarrassing” and “difficult to deal with.”

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂époh₃kʷos Proto-Germanic *abuhaz Old Norse ǫfugrder. Middle English awke English awk Proto-Indo-European *wert-der. Proto-Germanic *wardaz Old English -weard English -ward English awkward From awk (“odd, clumsy”) + -ward. Compare Middle English aukeward (“in the wrong direction”).

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary