1 a . not graceful : Clumsy

• She is awkward at dancing.
• He had large feet and his walk was awkward and ungainly.
• an awkward movement
• The story contained some awkward writing.

1 b . lacking skill

• She is an awkward writer.

2 .difficult to use or handle

• The machine is very awkward to operate.
• an awkward tool
• The box isn’t heavy but it has an awkward shape and size. [=its shape and size make it difficult to carry]

3 a . not easy to deal with

• It was an awkward[=embarrassing] moment for everyone.
• I often find myself in awkward situations.
• He was put in the awkward position of having to write the memo.
• There was an awkward pause in the conversation.

3 b . not socially graceful or confident : uneasy or uncomfortable

• I feel awkward(about) having to ask you to help.
• He feels awkward with/around strangers.

— awkwardly adverb

• The baby was crawling awkwardly on her hands and knees.
• He fell and landed awkwardly.
• an awkwardly written sentence

— awkwardness noun

[noncount]

• A moment of awkwardness occurred after the introduction.
• the awkwardness of the writing

[count]

• There was an awkwardness between us when we last saw each other.