ungainly

[ uhn-geyn-lee ]

adjective

, un·gain·li·er, un·gain·li·est.

1. not graceful; awkward; unwieldy; clumsy:

   an ungainly child; an ungainly prose style.

adverb

1. in an awkward manner.

ungainly

/ ʌnˈɡeɪnlɪ /

adjective

1. lacking grace when moving
2. difficult to move or use; unwieldy
3. rare.
   crude or coarse

adverb

1. rare.
   clumsily

Derived Forms

• unˈgainliness, noun

Other Words From

• un·gainli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ungainly¹

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 ); gainly, again

Word History and Origins

Origin of ungainly¹

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

Example Sentences

As a result, the hulking yet ungainly construct toppled back and crashed to the ground.

From Realm of History

What makes a runner’s movements seem beautiful is that they convey a sense of ease—maintaining that pace, you figure, must take less energy than a more awkward and ungainly runner would require.

From Outside Online

Commission industry chief Thierry Breton pointed to the ungainly sight of multiple charging cables.

From TechCrunch

As ungainly as bison look, they can run at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour and jump a six-foot fence.

From Outside Online

A 36-story tower designed by Rafael Vinoly nicknamed the “walkie-talkie” curves outward as it rises, ungainly and jarring.

From The Daily Beast

This ungainly man soon percolated in my own melancholic imagination.

From The Daily Beast

I imagine he made an ungainly lunge at her, which she again rejected and which left her seriously upset.

From The Daily Beast

But in their ungainly, old fashioned ways, books and records beat their digital equivalents in every category but convenience.

From The Daily Beast

It has lost some of its ungainly enthusiasm, its sloppy joy, its achingly self-conscious hipster attitude.

From The Daily Beast

Presently his blunt ungainly head rose within ten feet of them.

From Project Gutenberg

Though ungainly in appearance and with no oratorical talent, he was witty and formidable in debate.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a heavy ungainly looking object when finished, and it required much ingenuity on my part to launch it.

From Project Gutenberg

Bob lay upon some sacks in an ungainly attitude, and the jolting had not broken his heavy sleep.

From Project Gutenberg

Slowly rising from his seat was a figure as ungainly as the other had been elegant.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• awkward
• bulky
• clumsy
• unwieldy