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
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The attention attracts con artist Jacob (Robbie Allen), who sends three clumsy thieves led by Kodiak (Richmond) to steal the kangaroo and appease the wealthy Kathryn (Kinmont) and her ailing son.
—William Earl, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
When questions surfaced about Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff and the novel’s racial implications, Fennell’s response, rooted in her childhood perception, felt clumsy.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
Soon, Hegseth jumped on the Harvard-bashing train, a kind of me-too move similar to the secretary’s clumsy attempts to involve himself in the administration’s immigration mayhem in Minnesota.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The attention attracts con artist Jacob (Robbie Allen), who sends three clumsy thieves led by Kodiak (Richmond) to steal the kangaroo and appease the wealthy Kathryn (Kinmont) and her ailing son.
—William Earl, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
When questions surfaced about Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff and the novel’s racial implications, Fennell’s response, rooted in her childhood perception, felt clumsy.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
Soon, Hegseth jumped on the Harvard-bashing train, a kind of me-too move similar to the secretary’s clumsy attempts to involve himself in the administration’s immigration mayhem in Minnesota.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clumsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsy
Adjective
-
Our awkward hero copes with grief through humor while navigating relationships with her type-A sister (Sian Clifford), her nasty stepmother (Olivia Colman), and, in season 2, a hot priest (Andrew Scott).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This profound snow drought comes at an especially awkward time, compounding a quarter-century of regional aridification that has drained the nation’s two largest reservoirs to precarious depths.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Somatic shaking can look a little different from one person to the next, but usually involves a few minutes of wildly uncoordinated jumping, arm flapping, and foot stomping.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Every one of these new bits of hardware introduced a new set of uncoordinated chatter of alarms that simply produced noise.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And second, there’s the audience’s uncomfortable tingle of recognition watching Vladimir Putin’s tightening stranglehold on the Russian press.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Fortunately, there are many people who care enough about ballet to face these uncomfortable truths, and who are working to bring ballet into the twenty-first century by challenging traditions that don’t serve dancers’ health or the long-term health of the artform.—
Chloe Angyal,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Yoav Gallant, then the country's defense minister, believed that arrangement was too cumbersome.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Without enough staff, the distribution of Measure W funds will be cumbersome and slow while the fund accumulates taxes through 2031.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps surprisingly, the unfair pay and rude management didn’t trigger the most significant changes in attitude.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Whether a dish is tied to a long-standing family tradition, cultural heritage, or simply a treasured memory, etiquette experts say there’s nothing rude about choosing to keep certain recipes private.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And yet, within quarter of a century, this ungainly apparatus had established itself as a vital pillar of global governance.—
Time,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Melbourne, Australia — An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun's rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Many travelers feel 'uneasy' about going abroad.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The United States and Israel’s widening war with Iran has stricken an already uneasy global economy with a new bout of uncertainty.—
Mirtha Donastorg,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The slow progress of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and the bureaucracy of the African Union shows how ineffective an unwieldy pan-African vision can be.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Paring knives are too short to get the job done, and chef’s knives (including the gyuto) can be too unwieldy for such delicate work.—
Jesse Raub,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clumsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
