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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

Words nearby gawky

gavotte, gaw, Gawain, Gawain, Sir, gawk, gawky, gawp, Gawra, gawsy, gay, Gaya

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gawky in a sentence

At the time, Watson was an arrogant, gawky 22-year-old, working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Copenhagen.
One of the Most Egregious Ripoffs in the History of Science - Issue 107: The Edge|Kevin Berger|October 20, 2021|Nautilus
The young lady, a gawky girl of 13, was a distant cousin whose father had recently become King Emperor.
How Prince Philip Became Queen Elizabeth's Unlikely Husband|Lily Rothman|April 9, 2021|Time
The Movement: Julia had this gawky awkwardness, which Streep picks up.
How Meryl Streep Nailed Her|Sara Moulton|August 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He was reminded of the flight of time only by the growth of his son—a gawky, long-limbed boy.
The Pioneers|Katharine Susannah Prichard

Mediocrity had only seen the gawky stripling, with his moonstruck air, and pestilent habit of trying some new crotchet.
Heroes of the Telegraph|J. Munro
It sets up a gawky fellow to find a girl who ain't ashamed to be seen walking with him Sundays.
Tales Of Men And Ghosts|Edith Wharton
Three big, gawky helmet-headed beetles next followed, bearing rice-sprouts, with full heads of rice.
Japanese Fairy World|William Elliot Griffis
But who would ever have imagined that that gawky shock-headed American boy had really got so much romance in him!
Babylon, Volume 2 (of 3)|Grant Allen

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

gawky

Origin of gawky

OTHER WORDS FROM gawky

Words nearby gawky

Words related to gawky

How to use gawky in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gawky

gawkish

Derived forms of gawky