What does awkwarder mean?
'Awkwarder' is the comparative form of the adjective 'awkward', meaning more clumsy, more uncomfortable, or more embarrassing. Like other short adjectives, 'awkward' can form its comparative with the '-er' suffix, producing a word that describes something as exceeding another thing in awkwardness — whether that means physical ungainliness ('he was awkwarder on crutches than she expected'), social discomfort ('the pause grew awkwarder by the second'), or general inconvenience. Although the word exists and appears in major dictionaries, everyday usage strongly favors the analytic form 'more awkward'; many writers find the two-syllable base word resists the '-er' suffix, and 'awkwarder' tends to appear mainly in informal contexts. Its connotations are entirely inherited from its root: it signals unease, misfit, or embarrassment. Understanding 'awkwarder' is useful chiefly for recognizing how comparatives work and for judging when a suffixed comparative sounds natural versus strained.
adjective (comparative form of 'awkward')The comparative form of 'awkward', meaning more awkward — more clumsy, uncomfortable, or embarrassing than something else.
- More clumsy or physically ungraceful than something else
- More socially uncomfortable or embarrassing than something else
- More inconvenient or difficult to handle than something else
"The second meeting was even awkwarder than the first, since neither of them knew what to say."
"With his arm in a cast, he was even awkwarder getting into the taxi than usual."
"The silence after her joke made the dinner party far more awkward for everyone at the table."
'Awkwarder' is a rare bird: most style guides prefer 'more awkward', so using 'awkwarder' itself feels, well, a little awkward.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of awkwarder
'Awkwarder' derives entirely from 'awkward', which entered English in the early sixteenth century from Old Norse. The Norse source combined 'afugr' (meaning turned backwards or wrong-way) with the suffix '-ward' indicating direction or manner, yielding a word that literally meant 'in a backward manner'. As 'awkward' developed meanings of clumsiness and social discomfort, it took regular English comparative forms; the suffixed comparative 'awkwarder' follows standard Germanic comparative formation, though modern preference has shifted toward 'more awkward'. Cognate expressions of awkwardness include the related words 'gawk' and 'gawky', which share associations with ungainliness.
How awkwarder is actually used
In modern English usage, the comparative of 'awkward' is more commonly expressed as 'more awkward' rather than the suffixed form 'awkwarder'. The suffixed comparative does occur in informal speech and writing and is attested in dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster, but some editors consider it nonstandard or stylistically clunky. Both British and American usage follow this pattern.
Easily confused with awkwarder
'Awkward' is the base adjective describing clumsiness or embarrassment, while 'awkwarder' is specifically its comparative form used when comparing two things.