as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design even my five-year-old laptop seems clunky next to some of the really slim new models

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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 clunky But this clunky design may be the harbinger of another generation of FPVs with new and dangerous capabilities. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 Plus, buying an institution comes with institutional headaches; there are facets of the movie business that are clunky and outdated — meaning there are plenty of reasons that Apple wouldn’t want to shoulder the financial and organizational burdens. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 June 2025 One day, his dad brought home a clunky old Apple computer with a black-and-white screen and that was the spark. Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 30 June 2025 The Maryland product’s fit within the current Pelicans’ team is a clunky one. Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
  • And Hank’s own clumsy attempts at hypermasculine child-rearing often come from his father, Cotton (Toby Huss).
    Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 7 July 2025
  • Gone are are the days of clumsy imagery and texts and fake sign-in pages that can be detected in an instant.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
Adjective
  • Advertisement Advertisement To illustrate this point, consider the best man at a wedding who, instead of celebrating the couple, shares personal stories that only serve to embarrass them, often with awkward details that have no place in such a tender moment.
    Matt Abrahams, Time, 12 July 2025
  • An historic night at Madison Square Garden on Friday night turned into an awkward moment in the wee hours of Saturday morning at the Taylor-Serrano 3 post-fight press conference.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • Second, immigrant families could obtain relief through class-action lawsuits, although filing class actions in federal court can be a lengthy and cumbersome process.
    Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
  • Their effects will be modulated by how cumbersome or efficient work-verification systems are, by the availability of insurance-eligibility workers, and by community outreach or lack thereof.
    Lindsay Ryan, The Atlantic, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Looming large is the thorny issue of Washington and how to handle Trump and his unwieldy and unpredictable tariffs regime that could affect severely impact European and global economic growth.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 8 July 2025
  • But using SAVE for this sort of verification was unwieldy.
    Miles Parks, NPR, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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