The quality of being awkward; physical clumsiness, social discomfort, or difficulty in handling situations gracefully. A state of embarrassing inconvenience or ungainliness.
From Middle English 'awkeward' meaning 'turned the wrong way,' from Old Norse 'afugr' (turned backward) + '-ward' (direction). The sense of social discomfort developed in the 18th century from the original meaning of physical clumsiness.
Try Another Word