cack-handed

adjective

ˈkak-ˌhan-dəd How to pronounce cack-handed (audio)
Definition of cack-handednext
British
as in clumsy
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands some duffer with a cack-handed grip on his golf club

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 cack-handed In the short term, the cack-handed control by the Chavistas will be replaced by other, more diffuse mechanisms of power and probably grayer, more pragmatic personalities. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cack-handed
  1. clumsy
  2. awkward
Adjective
  • Here, his clumsy, winky, affected, and self-undercutting direction can’t even work the charming Jenna Ortega to a great performance, as her Klara is flattened into a bundle of manic pixie mannerisms both physical and verbal.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Some Latinas are nerds, and some Latinas are quirky, and some of them are goofy and some of them are clumsy.
    — Johanna Ferreira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • The Basketmaker—whose skills go far beyond furniture making—weaves her a match, Fiddler on the Roof-like, and the Fisherwoman, after an awkward matrimonial moment, takes Wicker Husband home to her funky little cottage.
    — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The pushback is awkward for a government that went out of its way to land the project.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of awkward

Browse Nearby Words

cachinnations
cack-handed
cackle
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Cite this Entry

“Cack-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cack-handed. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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