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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But a clumsy tackle and a penalty shootout later, and Arsenal left Budapest with nothing.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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Once in the water, where crocodiles have the home-ground advantage, large mammals become clumsy, oxygen-limited and vulnerable to rotational forces they are poorly equipped to resist.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Indeed, a dying wish and a cryptic clue lead the unlikely duo on a journey full of twists and turns, bad choices, awkward conversations, lies, fights, mystery, betrayal, and a dangerous killer.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
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Stakeholder facilitation and consensus-building bridge communication gaps and ease awkward conversations about one’s own compensation.—
Jim Hebets,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Swimsuits for women my size are typically cumbersome, made with a confusing excess of fabric, and frumpy.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
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But the process of obtaining records through the city’s official public records system can be cumbersome and lengthy.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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Created by veteran broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, The View hasn't changed much over the past few decades, even if certain hosting combinations have occasionally made the show somewhat unwieldy — often to entertaining effect.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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