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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncoordinated
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
a clumsy bow clumsy on the dance floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
felt clumsy in the unfamiliar uniform
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in inexperienced
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
a clumsy joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in rude
hastily or roughly constructed
a clumsy mock-up of the real thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 clumsy
McGee meets one of a clumsy TURF intern Pete, who is revealed to be Olivia's 18-year-old son, Matteo (Patrick Keleher) under interrogation.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Actors from Reiner’s movies gathered onstage — although the camera didn’t catch their faces, a sadly clumsy gaffe.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
Iliopoulos demonstrates once again how the unwillingness of political authorities to respect an international treaty transforms both the native population and the newcomers into hostages of a sinister and clumsy social engineering project.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026
The spirit of the endeavor can forgive a lot, with some clumsy filmmaking that doesn’t seem to be an intentional homage, such as a slapdash set-up to Helen’s murderous ways and a slightly tacked-on feeling opening involving a film critic who has been a thorn in Jack’s side.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Actors from Reiner’s movies gathered onstage — although the camera didn’t catch their faces, a sadly clumsy gaffe.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
Iliopoulos demonstrates once again how the unwillingness of political authorities to respect an international treaty transforms both the native population and the newcomers into hostages of a sinister and clumsy social engineering project.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026
The spirit of the endeavor can forgive a lot, with some clumsy filmmaking that doesn’t seem to be an intentional homage, such as a slapdash set-up to Helen’s murderous ways and a slightly tacked-on feeling opening involving a film critic who has been a thorn in Jack’s side.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsy
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The country had lost a generation of promising students and researchers during World War I; its universities were teaching math in uncoordinated, fragmented ways, using materials that were woefully out of date.—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
For a quiet, uncoordinated kid, there was nothing cooler than a hero whose superpower was his imagination.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As this video below from The Athletic explains, the key to making Luis Enrique’s side uncomfortable in possession is to be brave and press high.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Sutskever seemed uncomfortable with this idea.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Pete Hegseth rebukes 'rude' reporter who interrupted Pentagon briefing on Iran.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, wearing baseball caps backward is considered a rude violation of etiquette, and going barefoot is not allowed.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In its back-to-back knottiness, the album takes on an ungainly quality that, deliberate or not, sets up roadblocks to prolonged enjoyment.—
Maxie Younger,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The situation has grown so ungainly and untenable that, if Silicon Valley is merely forced to slow down, the viability of all this spending will likely be called into question in ways that could be devastating for many.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Many of these stemmed from the uneasy coexistence of political parties with religion – which was newly protected by the First Amendment – and with the Catholic Church in particular.—
Derek Arnold,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
So the uneasy authorities decided that such impertinence must be silenced once and for all.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Every song goes for everything, making the album exciting, expansive,and also… unwieldy.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clumsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsy. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
