as in clumsy
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the stiff, gawky gait of a newborn colt
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gawky
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
Crenshaw made fun of Davidson’s gawky stature and then called for respect for all veterans as well as first responders in the 9/11 attacks — one of whom was Davidson’s father.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes.
—
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
Mull had his laconic delivery and blonde mustache; Flaherty was tall and gawky, a human Adam’s apple.
—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gawky
Adjective
Homeroom placement was designated by test scores, and Smith rightly recalled that her homeroom class with Tupac was filled by twenty-eight Black students — and a gawky white kid named William Yates.
—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
Crenshaw made fun of Davidson’s gawky stature and then called for respect for all veterans as well as first responders in the 9/11 attacks — one of whom was Davidson’s father.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes.
—
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
Mull had his laconic delivery and blonde mustache; Flaherty was tall and gawky, a human Adam’s apple.
—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gawky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawky
Adjective
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Such a feature would neatly get around the need for clumsy remote control sessions to interact with AI agents running on a distant Mac.
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The head coach was clumsy in his response, saying — in effect — that the player is better suited to being an impact substitute and taking advantage of tiring opposition defenders.
Noun
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The league’s most popular player has become its biggest lout.
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Suddenly, these two louts are forced to support themselves for the first time.
Adjective
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Human bodies were like animals’ The few medical instruments of the revolutionary era were heavy in the hand, awkward in use and imprecise to maneuver.
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In its place are itty-bitty bands that still keep your flats or heels in place, just with less of a chance of awkward tan lines.
Noun
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Star-studded, and then some, the upcoming show boasts giant of stage and screen John Lithgow as Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Golden Globe winner Janet McTeer as stern but wise Professor Minerva McGonagall, and comedy stalwart Nick Frost as gentle oaf Rubeus Hagrid.
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And in the 1939 film, the Wizard is a kind of bumbling oaf who has stumbled onto the levers of power (almost literally).
Adjective
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Instead of an ungainly pile of pillows, modern buyers prefer to let the materials sing.
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Seydoux tromps through the film with a masculine heaviness — a sense of dysphoria that translates to her character’s ungainly bearing.
Noun
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At least Duncan’s daughter and fellow cadet, Teela (Eire Farrell), takes pity on the hopeless tyke.
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That backstory might prove disturbing for younger tykes, as will a vicious battle between Sebastian and two menacing dogs, no doubt accounting for the film’s PG rating.
Adjective
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In November, a number of odd bedfellows submitted several, uncoordinated letters to the BLM’s acting director, all urging caution about the downstream effects of the CRA ruling.
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Much of this is vibrational motion, which is random and uncoordinated.
Noun
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Carrie raves to Seema about her creative connection with Duncan, and during another writing session, Duncan helps Carrie with her faulty printer and gawks at her closet full of designer dresses and shoes.
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The badaud, by contrast, is always liable to form a group or crowd, either for a mass gawk or some communal response.
Cite this Entry
“Gawky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawky. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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