Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
awendaw
awendo
awesome
awestruck
awful
awfully
awhile
awhirl
awkward
awl
awn
awning
awoke
awoken
AWOL
awry
ax
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "awkward" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

awkward

awk·ward [ áwkwərd ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. embarrassing: embarrassing and requiring great tact or skill to resolve
I find myself in an awkward situation.

2. difficult or uncomfortable to use: difficult to use because requiring the body to be moved into an uncomfortable position
I find the gear shift very awkward to use when I move the seat forward.

3. performed gracelessly: performed in a way that lacks grace and looks uncomfortable
walked with an awkward gait

4. without graceful coordination: lacking physical coordination and grace
an awkward, gangling adolescent

5. shyly uncomfortable: shy, uncomfortable, and embarrassed
He was always awkward around kids.

[Mid-16th century. < obsolete awk "turned the wrong way" (< Old Norse afugr "turned backward") + -ward]

awk·ward·ly adverb
awk·ward·ness noun
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
MSN Shopping
Upgrade your Encarta experience
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft