clunky

adjective

ˈkləŋ-kē 

clunkier; clunkiest

: clumsy in style, form, or execution

a clunky thriller

clunky earrings

Synonyms of clunky

• clumsy
• awkward
• cumbersome
• unwieldy

Examples of clunky in a Sentence

I drive a clunky old station wagon.

His act was full of clunky one-liners.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the apps required a clunky online authentication process and most importantly contained only the content from that one media company. — Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Your local thrift will likely not take these clunky relics of the past. — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 2 Aug. 2026

Above all, the overwrought thirty-two-dollar packet of luxury strikes a discordant note in a restaurant that seems, in every other way, to have no need for such clunky signifiers. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 26 July 2026

Playing with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, and again for Spoelstra, had real appeal, even if the frontcourt fit was a little clunky. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for clunky

• chunky
• funky
• hunky
• junkie
• monkey
• spunky