ungainly
- not graceful; awkward; unwieldy; clumsy: an ungainly child; an ungainly prose style.
- in an awkward manner.
Origin of ungainly
Related Words for ungainly
lumbering, awkward, bulky, clumsy, unwieldy, gawky, graceless, uncoordinated, ungraceful, klutzy, heavy, unmanageable, clunky, lanky, loutish, maladroit, stiff, uncouth, woodenExamples from the Web for ungainly
Contemporary Examples of ungainly
A 36-story tower designed by Rafael Vinoly nicknamed the “walkie-talkie” curves outward as it rises, ungainly and jarring.
Imagining Prince Charles as King Makes All of Britain Wish They Could Leave Like ScotlandClive Irving
September 17, 2014
This ungainly man soon percolated in my own melancholic imagination.
I imagine he made an ungainly lunge at her, which she again rejected and which left her seriously upset.
But in their ungainly, old fashioned ways, books and records beat their digital equivalents in every category but convenience.
It has lost some of its ungainly enthusiasm, its sloppy joy, its achingly self-conscious hipster attitude.
Historical Examples of ungainly
The animal waddled toward the centre of the circle, short and squat and ungainly.
White FangJack London
It was ridiculous and ungainly, lying there on his back with legs sprawling in the air.
White FangJack London
Then, from the ungainly hoyden had been evolved this charming, delicate and lovely creature.
Doctor PascalEmile Zola
The ungainly little Scot did not leave the Wythburn district.
The Shadow of a CrimeHall Caine
Thousands of ungainly boats, rafts and scows were waiting to be launched.
The Trail of '98Robert W. Service
ungainly
- lacking grace when moving
- difficult to move or use; unwieldy
- rare crude or coarse
- rare clumsily
Word Origin for ungainly
Word Origin and History for ungainly
1610s, originally "unfit, improper," from Middle English ungeinliche, from ungein (c.1400) "inconvenient" (from un- (1) "not" + Old Norse gegn "convenient") + -like.