Awkward and Clever

Opposite meaning words

Awkward adjective - Showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation).

Usage example: her awkward handling of the seating arrangements at the wedding reception resulted in many hurt feelings

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Clever is an antonym for awkward in topics: convenient, clumsy, embarrassing, difficult to handle.

Nearby Words: awkwardness, awkwardly

Clever adjective - Skillful with the hands.

Usage example: the Shakers were clever artisans who created many ingenious and highly useful devices

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Awkward is an antonym for clever in topics: skilful, bright.

Nearby Words: cleverness, cleverly

Karrin Murphy in particular makes note of how things like his height can be either "awkward" or "imposing" and his pop-culture knowledge can come off as clever quips or like a fact-checking nerd.

Source: Nerd Action Hero
The Perilous Gard's Kate, the clever, awkward elder sister, has an inferiority complex about her beautiful, silly, lovable younger sister Alicia so deep-rooted it prevents her from noticing that they aren't romantic rivals.

Source: The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry

Cite this Source

Clever and Awkward. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/awkward/clever

Awkward & Clever. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/awkward/clever>.

Clever or Awkward. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/awkward/clever.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "awkward" and "clever" have occurred on timeline