clumsy

American  

[kluhm-zee] / ˈklʌm zi /

adjective

clumsier, clumsiest

1. awkward in movement or action; without skill or grace.

   He is very clumsy and is always breaking things.

   Synonyms:

   lubberly , lumbering , ungainly , ungraceful

2. awkwardly done or made; unwieldy; ill-contrived.

   He made a clumsy, embarrassed apology.

   Synonyms:

   inept , heavy-handed , bumbling , inexpert , maladroit , unskillful , unhandy

   Antonyms:

   skillful , adroit

---

clumsy British  

/ ˈklʌmzɪ /

adjective

1. lacking in skill or physical coordination

2. awkwardly constructed or contrived

---

Other Word Forms

• clumsily adverb
• clumsiness noun

Etymology

Origin of clumsy

1590–1600; clums benumbed with cold (now obsolete) + -y ¹; akin to Middle English clumsen to be stiff with cold, dialectal Swedish klumsig benumbed, awkward, klums numbskull, Old Norse klumsa lockjaw. See clam ²

Example Sentences

She calls it “the fearlessness while also being allowed to wobble and be clumsy, but always have wit and always have sharpness and clarity.”

From Los Angeles Times

Back in my own corner of the world, the San Francisco Police Department has come a long way since those ancient days of clumsy phone-tapping.

From Salon

Earlier this year, Hermer said he regretted "clumsy" remarks in which he compared calls for the UK to depart from international law and arguments made in 1930s Germany.

From BBC

"Let the clumsy, the spineless, the alibi artists stand aside, a poor shot should be a shot irrevocably lost," he stated.

From BBC

Another added that most drivers couldn’t even see a customer’s full name and that the heart emoji, while unprofessional, was probably nothing more than a clumsy gesture of appreciation.

From Salon

Related Words

• bulky
• heavy-handed
• inept
• ponderous
• ungainly
• unwieldy