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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gawky
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Hiccup, played this time with game and gawky charm by Mason Thames, has been raised to think the only solution to violence is more violence.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 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
Agnes has a gawky, floppy-haired beauty, a gently appraising stare, quizzically arching eyebrows, and a tendency to listen with her mouth half open, as if in anticipation of a punch line that will take her, and us, by surprise.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Hiccup, played this time with game and gawky charm by Mason Thames, has been raised to think the only solution to violence is more violence.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 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
-
The clumsy, confusing rollout of the fees certainly didn’t help — as many residents who were promised a locals discount couldn’t figure out how to tap that benefit.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Each additional finger adds mass, increasing the chances that fingers will collide, and making overall movement more clumsy.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Suddenly, these two louts are forced to support themselves for the first time.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
29 Dec. 2025
-
The drunken louts who mocked and obscenely jeered the European Ryder Cup contenders at last weekend’s event at Bethpage Black golf course on Long Island would have loved it.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Scenes around the dinner table are awkward to say the least, but Meg has a big supporter in bestie Penny (Sophia Torres) and a burning desire to bring this show to life against all odds.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
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All four athletes stood together, smiling for photos through an undeniably awkward situation.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And in the 1939 film, the Wizard is a kind of bumbling oaf who has stumbled onto the levers of power (almost literally).—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
21 Nov. 2025
-
The Irish independence-supporting Fenians, represented primarily by hotheaded oaf Paddy (Seamus O’Hara) and his more strategically minded sister Ellen (Niamh McCormack), loathe the family’s conservative unionist policies.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The movie begins in 1989, when Martin was just out of her teens and fighting in Toughwoman contests, and spans 22 years, providing all sorts of opportunities for ungainly period hairstyles, from a ragged pageboy to a curly mullet to a frizzy shag.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There are two scenes that show the transformation of main characters into the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, and while the more harrowing stuff is seen in flashes or close-ups, there’s still some unnerving body horror that could give tykes nightmares.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Nov. 2025
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An inspiring 60-second spot from Pampers features an array of wee tykes, all being comforted or protected by the popular Procter & Gamble diaper.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Experts said the leaderless and uncoordinated movement turned violent as economic protests intertwined with political ones.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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Last August, this problem became critical in Xinjiang, where uncoordinated wind generation caused low-frequency oscillations that threatened the broader national network.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Dec. 2025
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.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
31 July 2025
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Here, the blurring is visual: Sometimes Leonard floats into the past looking like Gere, who wears the character without a shred of self-protection as the lens gawks at his raw skin.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Gawky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawky. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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