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
This digital shift transforms clunky, error-prone spreadsheets into powerful ecosystems that keep every stakeholder aligned, minimize operational risks, and ensure supply chains are resilient enough to handle crises.
—
Oyku Ilgar, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Its clunky nature and hefty weight, popularized by OG brands like Rocket Dog, was certainly not for everyone.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 23 July 2025
The aiming-and-throwing controls for this terrain-throwing system are just clunky enough to be annoying—this is a far cry from Gears of Donkey Kong or something.
—ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
Blame for the inexcusably clunky dream scenes, a writing fail, can’t be pinned on the designers.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Oyku Ilgar, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Its clunky nature and hefty weight, popularized by OG brands like Rocket Dog, was certainly not for everyone.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 23 July 2025
The aiming-and-throwing controls for this terrain-throwing system are just clunky enough to be annoying—this is a far cry from Gears of Donkey Kong or something.
—ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
Blame for the inexcusably clunky dream scenes, a writing fail, can’t be pinned on the designers.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
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Any move to unify systems and say goodbye to clumsy data management couldn't be more crucial—or opportune.—
Charles Crouchman,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Every summer a disposable camera was tucked into my camp bag, where clumsy photos, often with a thumb peeking in, were snapped with reckless abandon.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That has placed the Interior in an awkward position.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
5 Aug. 2025
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Rhodes hit a Terry Funk-style (read: awkward) moonsault onto Cena for a nearfall.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Regardless of the positive potential, humans are quirky and cumbersome – and there is an acute risk of dependency on bots, where humans replace interpersonal relationships with the convenience of artificial companions.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Swapping between the two can be cumbersome and doesn’t always foster fluid combo building.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Kennedy points out that these knowledge structures can become unwieldy.—
Hessie Jones,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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In addition, one-way puzzles generate keys that are too unwieldy to actually open locks.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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