1
as in awkward
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
diamond cutting is no job for a clumsy person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncoordinated
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
a clumsy bow clumsy on the dance floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
felt clumsy in the unfamiliar uniform
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in inexperienced
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
a clumsy joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in cumbersome
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
a clumsy contraption, but it got the job done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in rude
hastily or roughly constructed
a clumsy mock-up of the real thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 clumsy
Actually, Alma does suffer from ulcers, which cause her extraordinary stomach pain and vomiting at inconvenient moments, and cause viewers to wonder not if but when such clumsy symbolic traits will be trotted out in the future.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
There had to be an element of her that was sort of clumsy.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
If they are broken by clumsy feet, these millennia-old life-forms can die.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
The top secret agent of CONTROL is a role model for clumsy wannabe Steve Carell, though by the end, Agent 23 is the one throwing an explosive situation into total KAOS.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
There had to be an element of her that was sort of clumsy.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
If they are broken by clumsy feet, these millennia-old life-forms can die.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
The top secret agent of CONTROL is a role model for clumsy wannabe Steve Carell, though by the end, Agent 23 is the one throwing an explosive situation into total KAOS.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsy
Adjective
-
Frederick Wherry, Kristin Seefeldt, and Anthony Alvarez examine the strategies potential lenders use to make these interactions less awkward.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Talk about awkward reunions at unlikely places, if this does happen.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This can lead to problems such as weakness, muscle tension, and uncoordinated voiding that can cause issues like incontinence, urgency, and frequent urinary tract infections.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Despite reports saying that Kidman and Urban had been separated for a few weeks, the announcement and the ensuing headlines have an uncoordinated chaos.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In its eerie, uncomfortable depiction of Derry as a toxic version of the all-American town, the series is sometimes more powerful than when Pennywise jumps at the screen.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
-
There’s certainly an authenticity to this development; who among us hasn’t procrastinated when facing an uncomfortable decision?—
Kristen Baldwin,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Maintaining the tugboat became cumbersome, and three Zizian members opted to move into box trucks before squatting in a Bay Area trailer lot owned by Curtis Lind, then age 80, a former shipworker and grandfather of four.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Film cameras are a little bulky, Quigley says, and even digital cameras are more cumbersome to carry around than a sleek smartphone.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For three long weeks that began to seem rude or impertinent, as if the Prize hadn’t been announced, as if a king and queen weren’t waiting for his answer, Dylan said nothing about the award.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
According to Dakota, the sisters once had a tense encounter with a rude man that ended with the Complete Unknown star's drink all over him.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When her rival, Poot’s Thea, arrives underdressed, Hedda forces her into a hideous frock with fussy bows and an ungainly skirt.—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
-
But the show never recaptures that energy, and what follows rapidly devolves into an ungainly blob of franchise-building obligation.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Lawler, the best known of the young actors thanks to her breakout work in Station Eleven, brings welcome awkward humor, while Stack, with the series’ most complex character, conveys an uneasy grasp on sanity that the rest of the show isn’t really prepared to deal with.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
-
BofA also points to a record 54% of investors who now believe that AI stocks are in a bubble, according to its most recent Global Fund Manager Survey—another reason for heightened vigilance around the market’s uneasy exuberance.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Choose open industrial shelves Insert some industrial wire shelving units to stock full of garden tools or unwieldy seasonal items like holiday decor.—
Michelle Mastro,
Architectural Digest,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Education Department officials blame the prior administration for the unwieldy state of the federal student loan system.—
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clumsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share