What does “неудобно” mean in Russian?

Неудобно (neudobno) literally means “not convenient” or “uncomfortable,” like a chair or a meeting time. But Russians use it just as often for social awkwardness. Мне неудобно means “I feel awkward” or “I’m embarrassed.” You’ll hear it whenever someone doesn’t want to impose: неудобно просить (“I feel bad asking”), неудобно получилось (“that got awkward”).

The opposite, удобно, means “convenient” or “comfortable”: тебе удобно? can mean “does this time work for you?” or “are you comfortable?” In this clip the speaker explains why many women distance themselves from feminism even when they support equal rights: женщине просто неудобно говорить о феминизме, “it’s just awkward for a woman to talk about feminism,” because it quickly turns hostile. Then she says Но я всё равно скажу, “but I’ll say it anyway,” and follows with Я феминистка.