Meanings
plural awkwardnesses · alternative obsolete aukwardness
- uncountableusuallyThe state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness.
[…] instead of the joyous voices of his playfellows he hears the rough commands of an unindulgent master or a scolding mistress; — he is continually reproached for his awkwardness and timidity, and reminded of his pauper origin.
1849, Minutes of the committee of council on education, page 82 - uncountableusuallyThe quality of an embarrassing situation.
Such awkwardnesses indicate that Lenin was conscious of the daily erosion of what few democratic institutions remained, but wished from time to time to invoke the virtuous-sounding name of democracy.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 506
Synonyms & antonyms
noununskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
nounthe carriage of someone whose movements and posture are ungainly or inelegant
nounthe inelegance of someone stiff and unrelaxed (as by embarrassment)
nountrouble in carrying or managing caused by bulk or shape
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃ekʷ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂époh₃kʷos
- Proto-Germanic*abuhaz
- Old Norseǫfugr
- Middle Englishawke
- Englishawk
- Proto-Indo-European*wert-
- Proto-Germanic*wardaz
- Englishawkward
- Englishawkwardness
Translations
Bulgarian несръчност, непохватност
- несръчност (nesrăčnost)the state or quality of being awkward
- непохватност (nepohvatnost)the state or quality of being awkward
Dutch onbeholpenheid, onhandigheid
- onbeholpenheidthe state or quality of being awkward
- onhandigheidthe state or quality of being awkward
Esperanto malgracieco
- malgraciecothe state or quality of being awkward
Finnish kömpelyys, kiusallisuus
- kömpelyysthe state or quality of being awkward
- kiusallisuusthe quality of an embarrassing situation
French maladresse
- maladressethe state or quality of being awkward
German Unbeholfenheit, Umständlichkeit
- Unbeholfenheitthe state or quality of being awkward
- Umständlichkeitthe state or quality of being awkward
- Ungeschicklichkeitthe state or quality of being awkward
- Plumpheitthe state or quality of being awkward
- Peinlichkeitthe quality of an embarrassing situation
Hungarian esetlenség
- esetlenségthe quality of an embarrassing situation
Irish liopastacht, amlógacht
- liopastachtthe state or quality of being awkward
- amlógachtthe state or quality of being awkward
- amlóireachtthe state or quality of being awkward
- ainnisethe state or quality of being awkward
Portuguese constrangimento
- constrangimentothe quality of an embarrassing situation
Spanish torpeza
- torpezathe state or quality of being awkward
Tagalog tungal, pagkatungal
- tungalthe state or quality of being awkward
- pagkatungalthe state or quality of being awkward
- katungalanthe state or quality of being awkward
Cite this entry
awkwardness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awkwardness
“awkwardness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awkwardness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “awkwardness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awkwardness.
Source: awkwardness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.