as in clumsy
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
I'm so butterfingered this morning—I keep dropping things
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butterfingered
Adjective
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Furthermore, Sharpe spent six months learning how to tinkle the ivories, an impressive commitment which pays off during the pivotal piano battles and ensures a welcome absence of clumsy cutaways from fingers to face.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026 -
Then with a little nudging, the clumsy newborn finds the udder bulging between the cow’s back legs and hungrily suckles colostrum so critical for its first feeding.—
Susan Koch,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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In a video about an erratic Uber driver, a recognizable dynamic—awkward small talk, impatience to set off—escalates into a life-threatening one.—
Alex Barasch,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
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Hannah and Garrett’s connection begins with an awkward encounter.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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At her side is her maladroit cameraman Manu, (a winning turn from Jean-Baptiste Shelmerdine).—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2026
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Michael Strassner, who co-wrote the film with Duplass, stars as Cliff, a physically maladroit, mildly depressive but sweet-natured man whose thick beard and portly bearing suggest Lord of the Rings-era Peter Jackson.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Butterfingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butterfingered. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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