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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Recent Examples of clunky
Maybe some clunky intelligence operation?
—
Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
Companies won’t need whole teams to coordinate in clunky, unproductive meetings; one AI with a few humans will get the job done cheaper and faster.
—Solo Ceesay, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
Over the course of less than an hour, the capsule will shed its clunky service module and dive toward Earth at 24,000 miles per hour.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Nexcom has moved online, but its digital storefront can be clunky.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge,ryan Baker, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
Companies won’t need whole teams to coordinate in clunky, unproductive meetings; one AI with a few humans will get the job done cheaper and faster.
—Solo Ceesay, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
Over the course of less than an hour, the capsule will shed its clunky service module and dive toward Earth at 24,000 miles per hour.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Nexcom has moved online, but its digital storefront can be clunky.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge,ryan Baker, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
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Furthermore, Sharpe spent six months learning how to tinkle the ivories, an impressive commitment which pays off during the pivotal piano battles and ensures a welcome absence of clumsy cutaways from fingers to face.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
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Then with a little nudging, the clumsy newborn finds the udder bulging between the cow’s back legs and hungrily suckles colostrum so critical for its first feeding.—
Susan Koch,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Cohen offered limited clarity on the structure during what at times was a combative and awkward interview, repeatedly directing viewers to the company's website for details.—
Yun Li,Anniek Bao,Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
-
The awkward catching-up process turns into energetic conversations about race, relationships, class, status and rehabilitation, then shifts to deep familial spiritual bonding.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Retirees who have more time to spend in shopping lines become their families’ lifelines, taking on the cumbersome task of searching for food and standing in long lines.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, government continues to grow at an alarming pace, into an unwieldy monster, impossibly big and unmanageable and expensive.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
-
The poor equipment manager was struggling with the unwieldy block.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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