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maladroit

[ mal-uh-droit ]
/ ˌmæl əˈdrɔɪt /
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See synonyms for: maladroit / maladroitly / maladroitness on Thesaurus.com
adjective
lacking in adroitness; unskillful; awkward; bungling; tactless: to handle a diplomatic crisis in a very maladroit way.
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Origin of maladroit

First recorded in 1665–75; from French, Middle French: literally “clumsy”; see origin at mal-, adroit

OTHER WORDS FROM maladroit

mal·a·droit·ly, adverbmal·a·droit·ness, noun

Words nearby maladroit

maladdress, maladjusted, maladjustment, maladminister, maladministration, maladroit, malady, mala fide, mala fides, Malaga, Malagasy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to maladroit

all thumbs, blundering, bumbling, bungling, clunky, floundering, gauche, halting, heavy-handed, inept, inexpert, klutzy, lumbering, stumbling, ungraceful, unhandy, unskillful, brash, impolitic, inconsiderate

How to use maladroit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for maladroit

maladroit
/ (ˌmæləˈdrɔɪt) /
adjective
showing or characterized by clumsiness; not dexterous
tactless and insensitive in behaviour or speech

Derived forms of maladroit

maladroitly, adverbmaladroitness, noun

Word Origin for maladroit

C17: from French, from mal badly + adroit
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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