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Glite Dictionary
😬 Very awkward 🟥 Extremely left-wing
très gauche

très gauche

9.9
Very awkward in social situations that make people uncomfortable
  • adjective
translation icon : muy torpe
  • His attempts at conversation were très gauche and made everyone uncomfortable.

Examples

  • The candidate's très gauche mannerisms cost him the support of the audience.

  • She smiled politely, ignoring his très gauche remark.

  • Don't be très gauche!

  • His comments were so très gauche that everyone felt uncomfortable.

  • His attempts at conversation were so très gauche that everyone felt uncomfortable.

  • She smiled politely, even though his behavior was quite très gauche at the dinner party.

  • The candidate's très gauche mannerisms during the debate alienated many potential voters.

Synonyms

awkward
vstrès gauche
311 2.7

Feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable in social situations

is about clumsy, inept social behaviour rather than internal discomfort
gawky
vstrès gauche
5 6.5

Moving or standing in a clumsy way

focuses on clumsy social conduct and ineptness rather than physical posture
graceless
vstrès gauche
4 4.6

Awkward and clumsy in movement or social behavior

focuses specifically on strong social clumsiness rather than general movement
gauche
vstrès gauche
1 8.6

Uncomfortable in social situations and likely to say the wrong thing

is more strongly clumsy and inept in social situations

Antonyms

graceful
87 2.8

Movement that is smooth and attractive like a dancer or swan

How Awkward

inept
49 5.0
très gauche
9.9
gauche
1 8.6
awkward
61 3.3
clumsy
73 1.2

Surface Forms

très gauche positive

Morphology

très + gauche

Given the listed constituent meanings ('très' = very; 'gauche' = awkward), a B1 learner would infer 'very awkward', which does not match the intended political sense. The political meaning is a borrowing from French ('gauche' = left) and thus is not derivable from the English interpretations of the parts, making the expression unpredictable for learners.

Etymology

Très gauche comes from the French words très ('very') and gauche ('left'), and gauche long ago also meant 'clumsy' because the left side was often seen as awkward. So très gauche paints the picture of someone who is 'very' clumsy, which is why it means 'very awkward' today.