emprunté

awkward

adjective ahm-proon-TEH Rare

Also means

borrowed

Usage Note

Emprunté in its most common modern sense describes someone who feels visibly ill at ease or self-conscious in a social situation — closer to 'stilted' than simply 'shy'. As a past participle it also means 'borrowed', as in un mot emprunté à l'anglais (a word borrowed from English). Context usually makes the sense clear.

Examples

"Il semblait emprunté lors du discours."

Natural Translation

He seemed awkward during the speech.

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