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gawky

[ gaw-kee ]
/ ˈgɔ ki /
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See synonyms for: gawky / gawkily / gawkiness on Thesaurus.com
adjective, gawk·i·er, gawk·i·est.
awkward; ungainly; clumsy.
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Also gawk·ish [gaw-kish]. /ˈgɔ kɪʃ/.

Origin of gawky

First recorded in 1715–25; gawk + -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM gawky

gawk·i·ly, gawk·ish·ly, adverbgawk·i·ness, gawk·ish·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to gawky

awkward, bumbling, clownish, gauche, loutish, lumbering, lumpish, lumpy, maladroit, oafish, rude, rustic, splay, uncouth, ungainly

How to use gawky in a sentence

  • Kellner and a gawkish Great Dane led me sheet and all to what I thought would be the operating room.

    Cue for Quiet|Thomas L. Sherred

  • Bridget may have been a gawk, but she did two things which were not gawkish.

    The Manxman|Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for gawky

gawky

gawkish

/ (ˈɡɔːkɪ) /
adjective gawkier or gawkiest
clumsy or ungainly; awkward
West Yorkshire dialect left-handed

Derived forms of gawky

gawkily or gawkishly, adverbgawkiness or gawkishness, 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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