cack-handed

adjective

ˈkak-ˌhan-dəd How to pronounce cack-handed (audio)
Definition of cack-handednext
British
as in clumsy
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands some duffer with a cack-handed grip on his golf club

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cack-handed In the short term, the cack-handed control by the Chavistas will be replaced by other, more diffuse mechanisms of power and probably grayer, more pragmatic personalities. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cack-handed
  1. clumsy
  2. awkward
Adjective
  • One of the clumsiest parts of Klosterman’s book is his attempts at political punditry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • The payoff is that bulky, awkward items like pot lids and foil boxes stop monopolizing a shelf and become easy to grab.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Within this awkward relic of several other ages, New York’s past gets fetishized, chopped up, and whirled together into digestible entertainment.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of awkward

Browse Nearby Words

cachinnations
cack-handed
cackle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cack-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cack-handed. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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