awkwardness

awkwardness
noun
1. unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
• Derivationally related forms: ↑slow (for: ↑slowness), ↑maladroit (for: ↑maladroitness), ↑inept (for: ↑ineptness), ↑clumsy (for: ↑clumsiness), ↑awkward
• Hypernyms: ↑unskillfulness
• Hyponyms: ↑rustiness
2. the quality of an embarrassing situation
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he sensed the awkwardness of his proposal

• Syn: ↑nuisance value
• Derivationally related forms: ↑awkward
• Hypernyms: ↑disadvantage
3. the carriage of someone whose movements and posture are ungainly or inelegant
• Syn: ↑clumsiness
• Ant: ↑gracefulness
• Derivationally related forms: ↑clumsy (for: ↑clumsiness)
• Hypernyms: ↑carriage, ↑bearing, ↑posture
4. the inelegance of someone stiff and unrelaxed (as by embarrassment)
• Syn: ↑clumsiness, ↑gracelessness, ↑stiffness
• Derivationally related forms: ↑stiff (for: ↑stiffness), ↑graceless (for: ↑gracelessness), ↑clumsy (for: ↑clumsiness), ↑awkward
• Hypernyms: ↑inelegance
• Hyponyms: ↑woodenness, ↑rusticity, ↑gaucherie
5. trouble in carrying or managing caused by bulk or shape
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the movers cursed the unwieldiness of the big piano

• Derivationally related forms: ↑unwieldy (for: ↑unwieldiness), ↑cumbersome (for: ↑cumbersomeness), ↑awkward
• Hypernyms: ↑troublesomeness, ↑inconvenience, ↑worriment

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • awkwardness — [n1] clumsiness; inelegance amateurishness, artlessness, boorishness, cloddishness, coarseness, crudeness, gawkiness, gracelessness, greenness*, ignorance, inability, incompetence, ineptitude, ineptness, inexpertness, maladroitness, oafishness,… …   New thesaurus

  • awkwardness — index embarrassment Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • awkwardness — (n.) 1704, lack of grace, from AWKWARD (Cf. awkward) + NESS (Cf. ness). Meaning physical clumsiness is attested from c.1770; that of social embarrassment is from 1788 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Awkwardness — Awkward Awk ward ([add]k we[ e]rd), a. [Awk + ward.] 1. Wanting dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not dexterous; without skill; clumsy; wanting ease, grace, or effectiveness in movement; ungraceful; as, he was awkward at a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • awkwardness — awkward ► ADJECTIVE 1) hard to do or deal with. 2) causing or feeling embarrassment. 3) inconvenient. 4) clumsy. DERIVATIVES awkwardly adverb awkwardness noun. ORIGIN from obsolete …   English terms dictionary

  • awkwardness — noun see awkward …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • awkwardness — See awkwardly. * * * …   Universalium

  • awkwardness — noun The state or quality of being awkward Syn: clunkiness, clumsiness, ineptness, ineptitude, inelegance See Also: awkwardly …   Wiktionary

  • awkwardness — (Roget s IV) n. 1. [Clumsiness] Syn. inaptitude, clumsiness, ineptitude, ineptness, inability, incompetence, botchery, gawkiness, maladroitness, crudeness, ignorance, heavy handedness, unhandiness, ungainliness, ungracefulness, oafishness,… …   English dictionary for students

  • awkwardness — awk·wardness || ɔːkwÉ™dnɪs n. gracelessness, ineptness, clumsiness, cumbersomeness …   English contemporary dictionary

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