awkward silence
6
4.3
- noun
- /ˈɔkwərd ˈsaɪləns/
:
silencio incómodo
- This is an awkward silence.
- break the awkward silence
- moment of awkward silence
- fill the awkward silence
Yeah, this really long, awkward silence on our end.
- Yeah, this really long, awkward silence on our end.
- So when I start talking about pain with a big grin on my face, it throws people off and the response I get is often awkward silence or confusion.
- And you have those awkward silences was like, I just told a joke, no reaction.
- We had that awkward silence moment and I never respond well to those moments so I blurted out.
Examples
-
The highly paid TV anchors stared at one another in awkward silence.
Fiction book (1991) -
Another moment of awkward silence ensued until Val finally broke the spell.
Fiction book (1997) -
No, we're just sitting in an awkward silence.
-
A long and awkward silence, which I was prepared to maintain for five minutes.
Fiction book (2001) -
Yes, then there was always that awkward silence as he got dressed and left.
-
After an awkward silence, Lord President Bradshaw moved things along.
-
There is an awkward silence as we eat our cones.
Fiction book (1996) -
'Sarah's covering it for us until we can pay it back.' An awkward silence followed.
Fiction book (2001) -
I didn't move, speak, or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed.
-
When I told her why I was calling, there was a long awkward silence.
Synonyms
660
2.0
A period with no sound or speech
110
2.8
A short pause before you speak or act because you feel unsure
15
4.1
A short time when people feel uncomfortable or embarrassed
3
4.6
A complete, very noticeable lack of sound when no one answers
Antonyms
How Awkward
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase describes a silence that is awkward — combining 'awkward' (feeling uneasy) with 'silence' (no sound), so the meaning is directly inferable from its parts. This adjective + noun composition is a common, compositional pattern across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.
Etymology
Awkward silence puts together awkward (meaning clumsy or uncomfortable) and silence (no talking), creating the picture of people frozen and uneasy when they do not know what to say. So the phrase means 'an uncomfortable pause' in conversation.