Abstruse vs Awkward - What's the difference?
abstruse | awkward |
(obsolete) Concealed or hidden out of the way; secret.
* 1612 , Thomas Shelton (translator), Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish author), The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-Errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha , Part 4, Chapter 15, page 500:
* 1667 , , Paradise Lost :
Difficult to comprehend or understand; recondite; obscure; esoteric.
* 1548 , Bishop John Hooper, A Declaration of the Ten Holy Comaundementes of Almygthye God , Chapter 17 Curiosity, Page 218:
* 1748 , David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. ยง 13.
* 1855 , , History of Latin Christianity :
(obsolete) In a backwards direction.
*, Bk.V, Ch.x:
Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments
Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing
Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction
Perverse; adverse; difficult to handle
As adjectives the difference between abstruse and awkward
is that abstruse is (obsolete) concealed or hidden out of the way; secret while awkward is lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.As an adverb awkward is
(obsolete) in a backwards direction.abstruse
English
Adjective
(en-adj)- O who is he that could carrie newes to our olde father, that thou wert but aliue, although thou wert hidden in the most abstruse dungeons of Barbarie; for his riches, my brothers and mine would fetch thee from thence.
- The eternal eye whose sight discerns abstrusest thoughts.
- ...at the end of his cogitacions, fyndithe more abstruse , and doutfull obiections then at the beginning...
- It is certain that the easy and obvious philosophy will always, with the generality of mankind, have the preference above the accurate and abstruse ;
- Profound and abstruse topics.
Usage notes
* More abstruse and most abstruse are the preferred forms over abstruser and abstrusest.Derived terms
* abstrusely * abstrusenessReferences
External links
* * ----awkward
English
Adverb
(en adverb)- Than groned the knyght for his grymme woundis, and gyrdis to Sir Gawayne and awkewarde hym strykes, and.
Adjective
(en-adj)- John was awkward at performing the trick. He'll have to practice to improve.
- That was an extremely awkward moment. Everyone was watching.
- An awkward silence had fallen.
- I'm very awkward at parties.
- Things get very awkward whenever 60-year old men use cheesy pick-up lines on me.
- He's a right awkward chap.
- These cabinets are going to be very awkward when we move.