clumsiness

American  

[kluhm-zee-nis] / ˈklʌm zi nɪs /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of clumsiness

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

Example Sentences

O’Hara sinks into the role, embracing the inherent clumsiness of community theater while celebrating its flaws.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

She spilled Coke on her sari and figured her clumsiness would doom the engagement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 25, 2025

Some of this clumsiness is simply the endearing choreography of learning something new.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

We've excluded penalties to show how good United have been at creating and restricting chances themselves, rather than relying on opposition clumsiness or shirt-pulling like they did to score the winner against Burnley.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025

Clare crept forward, still hidden in the bushes, moving with purposeful clumsiness.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman