1
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
getting the ungainly couch up the stairs was a real chore
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awkward
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the tree cutter was crushing any unlucky petunias that lay in the path of his ungainly tread
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 ungainly
You're locked into an ungainly, spread armed, weak kneed
Character: snowplow.
—
Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
And Farley was wild, crashing through tables, cramming himself into ungainly costumes, and going full red-faced dynamo mode all in pursuit of every last laugh in the building.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Straining for its ungainly combination of action, romance and silly comedy, Love Hurts doesn’t fully succeed in any department.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But then, only an actor who doesn’t quite fit in could have brought László to life with his ungainly, spirited passion, vanity and self-belief intact.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
And Farley was wild, crashing through tables, cramming himself into ungainly costumes, and going full red-faced dynamo mode all in pursuit of every last laugh in the building.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Straining for its ungainly combination of action, romance and silly comedy, Love Hurts doesn’t fully succeed in any department.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But then, only an actor who doesn’t quite fit in could have brought László to life with his ungainly, spirited passion, vanity and self-belief intact.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungainly
Adjective
-
Herbert includes a range of moments, from earnest attempts to talk about the enslaved people that maintained all these palatial homes to clumsier ones in which they are referred to as workers, insinuating that their labor was paid for instead of forced.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
-
The aftermath of Virginia’s clumsy tumble into a rose bed where her exposed cleavage is profusely pricked by thorns lasts for all of one scene.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
The next mayor, like so many of his predecessors, will have to engage in awkward negotiations with politicians in Albany.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
Barely a week goes by without some fresh young talent arriving in West London to pose for the media with a Blue jersey and an awkward grin.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Inflation Reduction Act clawbacks desired by a large portion of the GOP are just a small part of the unwieldy bill.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
-
Because of the pandemic, multiple Hollywood strikes, and turmoil at Marvel Studios, it’s taken four and a half years for the show to materialize, though Thorne played the character in 2022’s unwieldy Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Agnes has a gawky, floppy-haired beauty, a gently appraising stare, quizzically arching eyebrows, and a tendency to listen with her mouth half open, as if in anticipation of a punch line that will take her, and us, by surprise.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
-
Hiccup, played this time with game and gawky charm by Mason Thames, has been raised to think the only solution to violence is more violence.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
30 June 2025
-
The actions come as deepfakes have become increasingly common, affecting celebrities such as pop star Taylor Swift and even Pope Francis as well as many less famous people, and also grown more cumbersome to identify as AI-generated.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
She's come to terms with the unsteady income, but even with acceptance, Wall admits that times do get tough.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
19 June 2025
-
The early moments with Scott’s Anne Marie are unsteady.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
Inefficiencies, broken handoffs, communication gaps and uncoordinated processes stall activation and put undue burdens on businesses to figure out how to get a product up and running.—
Alfred Kahn,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
These videos often spotlight patchwork tattoos, a style that’s become increasingly trendy in the past five years and consists of clusters of uncoordinated flash tattoos rather than a cohesive sleeve.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungainly. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share