as in clumsiness
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Recent Examples of awkwardness
If the other person is between jobs or not in the mood to talk about work, this also sidesteps any potential awkwardness.
—
Anna Goldfarb, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Does the sneak peek give you the sense that there is a certain awkwardness in the air?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
That subtle awkwardness is common in scam messages sent to large groups of people.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Both sides get to avoid the awkwardness that could’ve come from Hall skipping the offseason program — and from possibly entering the season playing on the franchise tag.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Hearing her mother’s constant criticism and feeling self-conscious about her awkwardness in social situations, Mary is content to be a wallflower.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 May 2026
Qureshi agrees that any awkwardness is unnecessary — your doctor hears about hemorrhoids on the regular — and embarrassment shouldn’t delay care.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The job either comes with a perk or the potential for awkwardness with Mattingly also the father of his new boss, Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
These Instagram pages offer a way to reach out before ever arriving on campus, potentially assuaging anticipatory worry and first-day awkwardness.
—Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Anna Goldfarb, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Does the sneak peek give you the sense that there is a certain awkwardness in the air?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
That subtle awkwardness is common in scam messages sent to large groups of people.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Both sides get to avoid the awkwardness that could’ve come from Hall skipping the offseason program — and from possibly entering the season playing on the franchise tag.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Hearing her mother’s constant criticism and feeling self-conscious about her awkwardness in social situations, Mary is content to be a wallflower.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 May 2026
Qureshi agrees that any awkwardness is unnecessary — your doctor hears about hemorrhoids on the regular — and embarrassment shouldn’t delay care.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The job either comes with a perk or the potential for awkwardness with Mattingly also the father of his new boss, Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
These Instagram pages offer a way to reach out before ever arriving on campus, potentially assuaging anticipatory worry and first-day awkwardness.
—Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awkwardness
Noun
-
The tree, which graces a botanical garden, bears patient witness to all manner of human clumsiness.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
For Perssonatti, the disease is more about fatigue, brain fog, word salad, and clumsiness.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Not two years later this tower was to collapse precipitately under its own weight into a pyramid of dust and rubble, only to be rebuilt later, in, unaccountably, all its former gracelessness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Awkwardness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awkwardness. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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