as in ineptly
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Recent Examples of clumsily
In the Connecticut cases, as well as hundreds of similar cases around the country, the lawyers used software that produced what appeared to be somewhat clumsily written but otherwise solid legal briefs.
—
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
Fleeing, not quite leaping and clumsily sort of galloping, is no easy matter for a snail (the starfish has thousands of ciliate foot like suction cups), and fighting is pure folly versus so many arms.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Straight and gay pornography was aired, albeit clumsily censored by the network.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Then a new entity clumsily named Netflix intruded with its quantum equation.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
As for the fifth dimension, China’s power is having a corrosive effect on democracies, including in the United States, which has clumsily adopted measures that resemble the CCP’s mercenary mercantilism.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Others saw a guy clumsily expressing sincere commitment.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
Denis and Roger really wanted to try and play the scene through as clumsily and naturally as possible, and Donald had his brilliant idea.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
But must they be maneuvered so clumsily, and with such a glaring absence of brains or heart?
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
Fleeing, not quite leaping and clumsily sort of galloping, is no easy matter for a snail (the starfish has thousands of ciliate foot like suction cups), and fighting is pure folly versus so many arms.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Straight and gay pornography was aired, albeit clumsily censored by the network.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Then a new entity clumsily named Netflix intruded with its quantum equation.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
As for the fifth dimension, China’s power is having a corrosive effect on democracies, including in the United States, which has clumsily adopted measures that resemble the CCP’s mercenary mercantilism.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Others saw a guy clumsily expressing sincere commitment.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
Denis and Roger really wanted to try and play the scene through as clumsily and naturally as possible, and Donald had his brilliant idea.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
But must they be maneuvered so clumsily, and with such a glaring absence of brains or heart?
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsily
Adverb
-
The collapse of the Constitution’s balance of powers between three branches of government got us into an unneeded war conducted ineptly.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Everyone now has to gasp politely and exclaim that this is a big opportunity for the dads indeed, while Mikayla stands there awkwardly, still holding her big pink box full of live butterflies.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The 6-foot-5 junior went down with just under five minutes remaining in the first half after awkwardly lunging for a loose ball.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
There is no need to laboriously clean and sand the walls before priming, per Johnson.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
29 Dec. 2025
-
With buckets and mops, Palestinians laboriously scooped water out of their tents.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
The team sequenced the DNA of 38 different mosquitoes belonging to 11 species within the Leucosphyrus group, which had been arduously collected during fieldwork between 1992 and 2020 across Southeast Asia.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The first year back from knee reconstruction is a tough one, and by all accounts, Darrisaw beat the timetable projection by arduously and relentlessly working through his rehab.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clumsily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsily. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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