Etymologically
Log in

awkward

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 13 October 2026 at 17:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɔːk.wəd/ (UK); /ˈɔk.wɚd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English awkeward (“in the wrong direction”),[2][3][4] from awke “turned the wrong way, backhanded”[2][5][3] and the suffix -ward.[2][5][4] Awk is from Old Norse ǫfugr (“turned the wrong way, backward”).[2][3][4][6] It is related to Old High German abuh “turned the wrong way”.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adverb, in the wrong direction, upside down or backward (mid-14th century).[5][7][4]

Semantic evolution

The original sense of direction is obsolete.[5] As an adjective the word meant “turned the wrong way” (1513),[7][5] then “perverse” or “adverse”,[7][3] and from 1530 “clumsy”.[4][5][3] The sense of being embarrassed or ill at ease is recorded from 1713.[5] The old word awk was obsolete by the 1600s.[4]

Timeline

  • 1340 – adverb, backward or the wrong way.[7][5]
  • 1513 – adjective, turned the wrong way.[7][5]
  • 1530 – perverse in conduct; clumsy.[7][4][3]
  • 1587 – unfavourable or adverse, now obsolete.[7]
  • 1713 – embarrassed, ill at ease.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Lacking grace in movement or form; ungainly.
  2. Lacking skill with the hands; clumsy.
  3. Hard to handle or manage.
  4. Causing or feeling embarrassment; lacking social ease.
  5. Calling for tact or care; delicate.

Word family

  • awkwardly
  • awkwardness
  • awkward age

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary compares awkward, clumsy, maladroit, inept, gauche and ungainly, all meaning lacking grace or skill.[2] Awkward and clumsy are the most general and stress a lack of physical dexterity, though both can also suggest embarrassment.[2] By contrast, maladroit implies tactlessness, inept inappropriate words or actions, gauche a lack of social polish, and ungainly a visible lack of grace.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press