awkward
adjective /ˈɔːkwəd/
/ˈɔːkwərd/
- There was an awkward silence.
- I felt awkward because they obviously wanted to be alone.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb2- He always sounded awkward on the phone.
- He was embarrassed, which made him awkward.
- I was the most socially awkward person you could imagine.
- She is awkward with people she doesn't know.
- They felt awkward about having to leave so soon.
- There was an awkward moment when they asked about his wife.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- with
- Don't ask awkward questions.
- You've put me in an awkward position.
- an awkward customer (= a person who is difficult to deal with)
- Please don't be awkward about letting him come.
- It makes things awkward for everyone when you behave like that.
Extra Examples- He could make things very awkward for me if he wanted to.
- He was in an awkward situation and I thought he handled it very well.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- make things awkward
- Have I come at an awkward time?
- That's a bit awkward for me—could we make it earlier?
- This box is very awkward for one person to carry.
- This tool will reach into awkward corners, such as under kitchen units.
- He tried to dance, but he was too clumsy and awkward.
- I must have slept in an awkward position—I'm aching all over.
Word Originlate 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.