clumsy
Americanadjective
-
awkward in movement or action; without skill or grace.
He is very clumsy and is always breaking things.
- Synonyms:
- lubberly, lumbering, ungainly, ungraceful
-
awkwardly done or made; unwieldy; ill-contrived.
He made a clumsy, embarrassed apology.
- Synonyms:
- inept, heavy-handed, bumbling, inexpert, maladroit, unskillful, unhandy
adjective
-
lacking in skill or physical coordination
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The butterflies that were dancing with airy leaps moments ago are now clumsy and heavy, bumping all over each other.
From Literature
He kicked and battered the air in some clumsy attempt to intimidate Gingersnipes, but she would not be deterred.
From Literature
"That's nothing more than clumsy from White. There is connection but he got the ball first. One of those decisions where if it's not given on field you don't interfere."
From BBC
"I'll be a bit clumsy up there -- so I know that's going to be hilarious and annoying at the same time."
From Barron's
“Where are your men?” the shorter soldier asked Cocky in clumsy, thick-accented Dutch.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
