Terminology Thursday #1

AWKWARD

Meaning:

ADJECTIVE

1. Lacking skill or dexterity.
2. Lacking grace or ease in movement.
3. Lacking social graces or manners
4. Not well planned or designed for easy or effective use
5. Requiring caution; somewhat hazardous.

Origin and History

The word 'awkward' comes from 'awk' in Middle English (mid 14th century), meaning backward or perverse. This was followed by the adverbial suffix '-ward'. Awkward was first recorded in the 1520s, meaning clumsy.  

Synonyms

clumsy, inept, unskillful, unhandy, inexpert, uncoordinated, graceless, ungainly, gawky, maladroit, clumsy, gauche, unpolished, unrefined, blundering, oafish, ill-mannered, unmannerly, ill-bred, unwieldy, cumbersome, unmanageable, inconvenient, difficult, troublesome, dangerous, risky,unsafe, chancy, perilous, precarious, treacherous.

Antonyms

deft, adroit, skillful, dexterous, handy, graceful, gracious; polite, well-mannered, well-bred; smooth, polished, refined.

Examples

1. an awkward gesture
2. an awkward dancer
3. a simple, awkward frontiersman.
4. an awkward instrument
5. an awkward method.
6. an awkward turn in the road.