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
The links were clunky, the attribution was debated, incrementality was always questioned and the whole channel had the whiff of late-night coupon codes rather than cutting-edge commerce strategy.
—
Lauren Newman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
From overpacking to not separating electronics to not packing your clunky shoes and belts, here are 10 carry-on mistakes, according to the TSA itself.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
Of course, the pivotal thing was to create an inciting incident that propels the story without clunky exposition.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.
—Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Lauren Newman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
From overpacking to not separating electronics to not packing your clunky shoes and belts, here are 10 carry-on mistakes, according to the TSA itself.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
Of course, the pivotal thing was to create an inciting incident that propels the story without clunky exposition.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.
—Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
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After the zapfest on Earth, the anti-climactic tussle between the forces of good and evil occurs back on Eternia, where He-Man and his nemesis cross swords in a clumsy fight that’s not only predictable but also photographed and edited poorly.—
Jeffrey Ressner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
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The simple walking pattern adopted by fish, which the Cambridge researchers call an ‘undulating tripod gait’, can appear to be quite clumsy and involves too much flopping.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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The disparity has forced Goldman into the awkward position of defending a seat he’s held for two terms by running, at least in part, as the outsider.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
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Between see-through fabrics, ill-fitting straps, and awkward hemlines, there are plenty of misses.—
Better Homes & Gardens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
Frette linen bathrobes were soft, not overly cumbersome like most robes tend to be.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
The first image in the exhibition announced the playful tenor of the oversize works, which often verged on the ludic despite the lack of spontaneity owing to the cumbersome Land Camera.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
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Weihl is dealing with heady concepts here, and at this crucial point—the project’s de facto mission statement—they’re too unwieldy, pushing her down cryptic dead-end roads.—
Raphael Helfand,
Pitchfork,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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