Awkward is an English adjective that has several meanings:
- Uncomfortable, complicated, causing difficulty, difficult to do or treat. In this sense, it also deliberately means uncooperative or reasonable.
- Embarrassing, which causes or feels shame, embarrassment, discomfort or inconvenience.
- Clumsy, faint, ungainly.
This word is formed with the archaism awk (‘in the wrong direction’), derived from the old Norse ǫfugr) and the suffix -ward. Originally it meant ‘in a wrong direction’. Later it is recorded with its current meanings.
This adjective usually appears accompanying terms such as silence, situation and position , which could be translated either as awkward silence, or as an awkward situation or position.
Awkward usage examples
Having as reference the different meanings of this word, here are some examples in English and their translation:
- ‘They asked some awkward questions.’ (‘They asked some awkward questions.’). ‘In the trial, the district attorney put me in a very awkward position.’ (‘At the trial, the prosecutor put me in a very complicated situation.’) ‘You’re being awkward, refusing all our proposals.’ (‘You are being little collaborative, rejecting all our proposals.’)
- ‘I’ve felt awkward explaining all the details of his personal life to the psicologist‘ (‘He felt ashamed explaining all the details of his private life to the psychologist.’). ‘When they discovered the truth, there was a second of awkard silence untily he apologized.’ ‘ (‘When they discovered the truth, there was a second of awkward silence’).
- ‘Despite of his awkward movements on the dancefloor, Jason kept saying he was a professional dancer.’ (‘Despite his ungainly movements, Jason kept saying he was a professional dancer.’)
Awkward as a television series
Awkward is the original name of an MTV television comic series released in 2011. In Latin America it is known as Rare Girl and in Spain as The Invisible Girl . The protagonist is Jenna Hamilton (played by Ashley Nicole Rickards), a teenager in search of herself.
