as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
even my five-year-old laptop seems clunky next to some of the really slim new models
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clunky
Too bad the moment got wasted with such a clunky sketch.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
After a clunky moment of audience groans and O’Brien trying to keep a straight face, the camera moved back to the winners.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
About the size of a football, the fire engine-red sirens look like a clunky, portable speaker.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
For decades, the work to engineer human embryo models using stem cells has been stagnant, and the resulting models have been clunky.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
After a clunky moment of audience groans and O’Brien trying to keep a straight face, the camera moved back to the winners.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
About the size of a football, the fire engine-red sirens look like a clunky, portable speaker.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
For decades, the work to engineer human embryo models using stem cells has been stagnant, and the resulting models have been clunky.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
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Even young Oklahoma City required a clumsy postseason audition.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The driver and his accomplice then mounted a clumsy getaway that resulted in their scooter crashing about three blocks from the scene, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Mary Washington’s Kye Robinson attempted an awkward, off-balance shot that missed the rim and landed in the hands of teammate Colin Mitchell under the basket.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
6 Apr. 2026
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Porsha shuts down any further messy conversations, choosing instead to focus on being a good host, ending the night with an awkward kiss with her fake boyfriend.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The compact electromagnetic launcher features a 12-inch barrel and is light enough to be comfortably held and operated with one hand, allowing for greater mobility and ease of use in tight or urban environments where traditional firearms or larger coil guns would be cumbersome.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Apr. 2026
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The researchers received the feedback in a meeting with FDA reviewers to discuss a potential study of custom treatments using prime editors, a more complex and cumbersome gene editing technology that can treat a much wider range of genetic misspellings.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For the present, we’re saddled with the unwieldy dilemma of there being eight major Democratic candidates and just two Republicans.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Every song goes for everything, making the album exciting, expansive,and also… unwieldy.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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