clumsy
awkward in movement or action; without skill or grace: He is very clumsy and is always breaking things.
awkwardly done or made; unwieldy; ill-contrived: He made a clumsy, embarrassed apology.
Origin of clumsy
1Other words for clumsy
Opposites for clumsy
Other words from clumsy
- clum·si·ly, adverb
- clum·si·ness, noun
Words Nearby clumsy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use clumsy in a sentence
Equipped with foreign DNA, the little guys nevertheless seemed totally normal, nosing around the lab and running everywhere without obvious clumsy stumbles.
How Scientists Grew Human Muscles in Pig Embryos, and Why It Matters for Organ Transplants | Shelly Fan | April 6, 2021 | Singularity HubThe colonizers spun this through their clumsy tongues and came up with “carel” as a sweeping term for all the food the Indigenous people ate.
Each of Liverpool’s first two goals received a Leeds reply within 10 minutes, but a clumsy lunge by Rodrigo Moreno gave Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah the opportunity to convert the winning penalty shot.
Leeds United Is Scoring (And Getting Scored On) Like Nobody Else In The Premier League | Nicholas Som | March 10, 2021 | FiveThirtyEightReynolds and Mani are very good at playing hapless and clumsy with endearing rapport, and their general helplessness comes off not as a stale joke but as a concerning hint of things to come.
'Save Yourselves!' Is a Surprisingly Fun Disaster Movie | Erin Berger | October 19, 2020 | Outside OnlineHere’s a practical guide to finding the glass out there for you, whether you’re frugal, clumsy, or just running out of kitchen space.
He must be pretending to be something, striking some kind of clumsy tribal note.
For a President Today, Talkin' Down Is Speaking American | John McWhorter | August 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut Silva, hapless Silva, got his merely for tangling with the Colombian goalkeeper in a clumsy melee of limbs.
Season one of OITNB chronicled her clumsy, fumbling attempts to get her legs under her so she could run for safety.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season Two Is More Bingeworthy Than the First | Kevin Fallon | May 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIgnore the clumsy comparisons of the Syria War and the Balkans War.
No One Understands Syria, But Everyone Is Choosing Sides | Michael Moynihan | September 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTRather, after weeks of clumsy diplomacy, they consciously led their nations into battle.
Scientists tell us that from the point of view of optics the human eye is a clumsy instrument poorly contrived for its work.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockWith which magnanimous sentiment he turned on his clumsy heel, and entered his apartment again.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuThey merely used such instruments as fate offered, however trivial, however clumsy.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodHe loses sight of the supreme fact that after all, in its own poor, clumsy fashion, the machine does work.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockWhen the owner can afford it, an ample supply of cushions and shawls makes the clumsy vehicle more comfortable for its occupant.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
British Dictionary definitions for clumsy
/ (ˈklʌmzɪ) /
lacking in skill or physical coordination
awkwardly constructed or contrived
Origin of clumsy
1Derived forms of clumsy
- clumsily, adverb
- clumsiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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