silence?

Silence is only awkward if you make it awkward.

Say someone you're having a conversation with someone who makes an odd comment, and you have nothing to say back to it, so you stand in silence. This moment is only awkward if you say or think it's awkward. It depends on the person and how you judge them.
I think silence is also a measure of how close you are with a person. when you can sit in silence and not feel awkward with someone, that's when you really know and feel comfortable with someone.

And although there are exceptions to these, in general, the awkwardness of silence is all in your head and what you percieve to be socially acceptable.