ungainly
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
-
lacking grace when moving
-
difficult to move or use; unwieldy
-
rare crude or coarse
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
Ungainly is the opposite of graceful, convenient, or easy. A clumsy dancer boogies in an ungainly or awkward fashion. Though you see gain in ungainly, the word does not have to do with growing, or getting ahead. Ungainly comes from an Old Norse word meaning "not convenient" or "awkward." If you want to impress your gym teacher or sports coach, first appear ungainly and then surprise her with your great athletic ability. Applying to college can be an ungainly process without an advisor to help.
Vocabulary lists containing ungainly
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Lord of the Flies
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the Park Avenue Armory, Benjamin Millepied’s camera-assisted contemporary version of Prokofiev’s Shakespeare-inspired ballet makes an ungainly patchwork out of the classic tale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
Sam Quinones celebrates this ungainly instrument and its players in “The Perfect Tuba,” a delightfully offbeat book with unexpectedly profound overtones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
I’d collapse one into the other, building a loaded potato so ungainly it should have come with a warning sign.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2025
Sample review: "An ungainly mess, submerged in mayhem, occasionally surfacing for cliches."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2025
She felt awkward and ungainly and grateful for the mask that hid her face, and she felt Sidhean’s magic all around her in a way she had not felt on the day of the hunt.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
It will be the rawest, gauntest, ungainliest brute that ever scared the motor-bicycles on the Northampton Road.
From The Research Magnificent by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
