gracelessly

adverb

as in clumsily

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gracelessly This kind of beauty has nothing to do with perfection, which is distributed so arbitrarily and approximated so gracelessly. — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gracelessly
  1. clumsily
  2. ineptly
  3. awkwardly
Adverb
  • That’s how grifters such as Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, two former NBA players insinuating themselves clumsily into the transgender sports debate, create value.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In June, Luna hopped clumsily from one branch to another, bumping Sandy off her perch and sending her to a branch below.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsily
Adverb
  • The collapse of the Constitution’s balance of powers between three branches of government got us into an unneeded war conducted ineptly.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of ineptly
Adverb
  • The investigators who haven’t already died are almost all retired, some of them awkwardly testifying via Zoom with technical difficulties from homes far away.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The mishap comes at an awkwardly fitting moment for an industry that has spent years promising packages, takeout, and everyday essentials would eventually descend from the sky.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of awkwardly

Browse Nearby Words

graceless
gracelessly
gracelessness
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Cite this Entry

“Gracelessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gracelessly. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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