ungainly

[uhn-geyn-lee]

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adjective, un·gain·li·er, un·gain·li·est.

not graceful; awkward; unwieldy; clumsy: an ungainly child; an ungainly prose style.

adverb

in an awkward manner.

Origin of ungainly

1150–1200; (adv.) Middle English ungeinliche, equivalent to un- un-¹ + later Middle English geyn straight, well-disposed, handy (< Old Norse gegn straight, direct; compare Old Norse ūgegn unreasonable) + -liche -ly; (adj.) un-¹ + obsolete gainly proper, becoming, gracious, Middle English gaynlych (geyn as above + -lych -ly); cf. gainly, again

Related formsun·gain·li·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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 Scotland
Clive Irving
September 17, 2014
This ungainly man soon percolated in my own melancholic imagination.
Making Lincoln Sexy: Jerome Charyn’s Fictional President
Tom LeClair
March 6, 2014
I imagine he made an ungainly lunge at her, which she again rejected and which left her seriously upset.
Beethoven in Love: The Woman Who Captivated the Young Composer
John Suchet
January 26, 2014
But in their ungainly, old fashioned ways, books and records beat their digital equivalents in every category but convenience.
New Pew Poll Finds That E-Books Are Booming but Print Holds Its Own
Malcolm Jones
January 19, 2014
It has lost some of its ungainly enthusiasm, its sloppy joy, its achingly self-conscious hipster attitude.
The Look That Defined Fashion Week
Robin Givhan
September 16, 2011

Historical Examples of ungainly

The animal waddled toward the centre of the circle, short and squat and ungainly.
White Fang
Jack London
It was ridiculous and ungainly, lying there on his back with legs sprawling in the air.
White Fang
Jack London
Then, from the ungainly hoyden had been evolved this charming, delicate and lovely creature.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
The ungainly little Scot did not leave the Wythburn district.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
Thousands of ungainly boats, rafts and scows were waiting to be launched.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service

British Dictionary definitions for ungainly

ungainly

adjective -lier or -liest

lacking grace when moving

difficult to move or use; unwieldy

rare crude or coarse

adverb

rare clumsily

Derived Formsungainliness, noun

Word Origin for ungainly

C17: from un- 1 + obsolete or dialect gainly graceful

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

Word Origin and History for ungainly

adj.

1610s, originally "unfit, improper," from Middle English ungeinliche, from ungein (c.1400) "inconvenient" (from un- (1) "not" + Old Norse gegn "convenient") + -like.