1
as in awkward
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
diamond cutting is no job for a clumsy person
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2
as in uncoordinated
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
a clumsy bow clumsy on the dance floor
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3
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
felt clumsy in the unfamiliar uniform
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4
as in inexperienced
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
a clumsy joke
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5
as in cumbersome
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
a clumsy contraption, but it got the job done
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6
as in rude
hastily or roughly constructed
a clumsy mock-up of the real thing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clumsy
From clumsy puppies to grinning chimps, adorable animal content is fantastically popular on social media.
—
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
The clumsy use of voice-overs is more embarrassing still.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
In the latest, a clumsy but charming young woman in Paris, struggling to become a writer and longing for Jane Austen-style romance, finally has her moment at a Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 May 2025
The flat shoe revival For the most part, flat shoes have long been considered the domain of the elderly, the clumsy or the unfashionable.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
The clumsy use of voice-overs is more embarrassing still.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
In the latest, a clumsy but charming young woman in Paris, struggling to become a writer and longing for Jane Austen-style romance, finally has her moment at a Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 May 2025
The flat shoe revival For the most part, flat shoes have long been considered the domain of the elderly, the clumsy or the unfashionable.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsy
Adjective
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Regional flashpoints have now put China in an awkward position.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
At times awkward, but mostly gorgeous, catchy and sincere.—
Darian Sahanaja,
Variety,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Inefficiencies, broken handoffs, communication gaps and uncoordinated processes stall activation and put undue burdens on businesses to figure out how to get a product up and running.—
Alfred Kahn,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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These videos often spotlight patchwork tattoos, a style that’s become increasingly trendy in the past five years and consists of clusters of uncoordinated flash tattoos rather than a cohesive sleeve.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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The family lives on the 18th floor of a high-rise building and getting into the underground garage that doubles as a bomb shelter during Russian attacks is an uncomfortable experience.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
15 June 2025
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The other panelists and the show's host all tried to move past the comedian's uncomfortable move and go on with the show.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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In-call operations, such as managing state or editing messages, are more cumbersome with audio.—
Arkadiy Telegin,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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For sharp images, stability is key—but a traditional tripod is cumbersome inside the confines of a safari vehicle.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Travel + Leisure,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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And even if that feels rude by the standards of today, people were forced to answer her questions and answer to the things that the public wanted to know.—
Alex Jhamb Burns,
Vogue,
23 June 2025
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There are so many things that can be off or what if just the woman walks in and just is not attracted to the guy or the man is rude to the waiter.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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The cornerstones of maps’ data pools are satellite images and a tireless fleet of Street View cars that roam with ungainly camera hats, constantly refreshing neighborhood-level detail.—
Sonya Bennett-Brandt,
AFAR Media,
25 June 2025
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The resulting Cheetah was, frankly, an ungainly machine, more like an oversized four-wheel ATV than a Ford Bronco or Mercedes G-Wagen.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Edan Lui of Hong Kong boy band Mirror will also make his Korean drama debut in the new season, joining the cast in a role that pairs him in an uneasy alliance with Kim Do-gi.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2025
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Repeatedly returning to themes of globalization and alienation, the 55-year-old director has meticulously chronicled his country’s uneasy plunge into the 21st century as rampant industrialization risks deadening those left behind.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The Inflation Reduction Act clawbacks desired by a large portion of the GOP are just a small part of the unwieldy bill.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
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Because of the pandemic, multiple Hollywood strikes, and turmoil at Marvel Studios, it’s taken four and a half years for the show to materialize, though Thorne played the character in 2022’s unwieldy Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clumsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsy. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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