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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 clunky
This is not some clunky virus from years ago.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026
And Gordon adds that the overall look is thick and clunky.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 20 Feb. 2026
Walking upstream against the current on loose rock with clunky wading boots was treacherous.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Where the film falters is in its plodding rhythm and clunky dialogue, much of which is delivered too flatly by actors who don’t exactly steal their scenes.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026
And Gordon adds that the overall look is thick and clunky.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 20 Feb. 2026
Walking upstream against the current on loose rock with clunky wading boots was treacherous.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Where the film falters is in its plodding rhythm and clunky dialogue, much of which is delivered too flatly by actors who don’t exactly steal their scenes.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
-
That makes the killers kind of human and fallible and clumsy, and these movies get a lot of mileage out of the slapstick shenanigans of their slasher chases.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Then, however, Phillips was sent off four minutes into the second half for a clumsy lunge at Svante Ingelsson, and suddenly Wednesday believed.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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
-
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
-
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
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
