word-vault/dist/data/cards/aw/awkward.json

A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.

{
    "term": "awkward",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "making you feel embarrassed",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There was an awkward silence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I felt awkward because they obviously wanted to be alone."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He always sounded awkward on the phone."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was embarrassed, which made him awkward."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was the most socially awkward person you could imagine."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She is awkward with people she doesn't know."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They felt awkward about having to leave so soon."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There was an awkward moment when they asked about his wife."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Feelings"],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "feel", "look"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"],
                "preposition": ["about", "with"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "difficult to deal with",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Don't ask awkward questions."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You've put me in an awkward position."
                },
                {
                    "text": "an awkward customer *(= a person who is difficult to deal with)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Please don't be awkward about letting him come."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It makes things awkward for everyone when you behave like that."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He could make things very awkward for me if he wanted to."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was in an awkward situation and I thought he handled it very well."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "difficult",
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "look", "seem"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"],
                "phrases": ["make things awkward"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "not convenient",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Have I come at an awkward time?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "That's a bit awkward for me—could we make it earlier?"
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "inconvenient"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "difficult or dangerous because of its shape or design",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "This box is very awkward for one person to carry."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This tool will reach into awkward corners, such as under kitchen units."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "not moving in an easy way; not comfortable",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He tried to dance, but he was too clumsy and awkward."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I must have slept in an awkward position—I'm aching all over."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Appearance"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈɔːkwəd/",
                "audio": "aw/awkward/awkward__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈɔːkwərd/",
                "audio": "aw/awkward/awkward__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English (in the sense ‘the wrong way round, upside down’): from dialect awk ‘backwards, perverse, clumsy’ (from Old Norse afugr ‘turned the wrong way’) + -ward."
}