awkwardness
awkwardness Lexical Profile
awkwardness Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The state or quality of feeling or causing social discomfort, self-consciousness, or embarrassment.
"A brief moment of awkwardness followed the unexpected question during the interview."
A lack of physical grace, skill, or coordination in movement or posture.
"The newborn foal stood up with a charming awkwardness on its long, unsteady legs."
The quality of being inconvenient, unwieldy, or difficult to handle, use, or deal with.
"The sheer size and awkwardness of the antique wardrobe made it nearly impossible to carry up the narrow stairs."
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from the adjective 'awkward' plus the noun suffix '-ness'. 'Awkward' originates from the Middle English 'awk' (from Old Norse 'afugr', meaning 'turned the wrong way') combined with the directional suffix '-ward'.