clumsiness

[ kluhm-zee-nis ]

noun

1. awkwardness or lack of skill or grace in movement or action:

   In spite of their large size and reputed clumsiness, bears are fleet-footed.

2. the fact or quality of being awkwardly done or made, or of being poorly contrived, difficult to use, etc.:

   The story wasn't bad, but had moments of clumsiness.

   Despite the winning concept of a phone combined with a gaming console, this version was doomed by the clumsiness of its design.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clumsiness¹

First recorded in 1650–60; clumsy ( def ) + -ness ( def )

Example Sentences

Robots have come a long way since our first clumsy forays into artificial movement many decades ago.

From Singularity Hub 

Yet I run remarkably straight, moving more efficiently than I ever imagined possible with my clumsy body.

From Outside Online

Even the cloud-strewn blue of the Washington sky seemed keyed to the moment, and to this particular event, taking place in a spot where just two weeks ago a bunch of clumsy, if dangerous, insurrectionists took a run at democracy and failed.

From Time

They found that the bat-like dinosaurs would have been clumsy gliders and probably went extinct because they couldn’t compete with the keen flying abilities of birds and early mammalian gliders.

From Popular-Science

While this could make for neat puzzles, the result is instead a clumsy execution of trial-and-error.

From Washington Post

Yet another chapter in the "J. Law's Clumsiness is So Endearing" saga.

From The Daily Beast

Whatever Kerry lacks in clumsiness, he makes up for in spinelessness.

From The Daily Beast

Just a detail, perhaps, but it underlines the clumsiness of Romney's decision to come to Israel.

From The Daily Beast

On Reliable Sources Sunday, Terence Smith said that a recent Obama gaffe was “Romney-esque in its clumsiness.”

From The Daily Beast

To his other iniquities Black Sheep had now added a phenomenal clumsiness—was as unfit to trust in action as he was in word.

From Project Gutenberg

Still more yellow than usual, Hemerlingue internally accused himself of clumsiness and imprudence.

From Project Gutenberg

If he had not the air of a thoroughbred, he had none of the plebeian clumsiness of the cart-horse.

From Project Gutenberg

And moreover, the ponderous clumsiness of the bull filled him with contempt.

From Project Gutenberg

Her inexperience and the clumsiness of the boat baffled her.

From Project Gutenberg