MALADROIT Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'maladroit' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of maladroit are awkward , clumsy , gauche , and inept . While all these words mean "not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct)," maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations. // a maladroit politician

Q: When might 'awkward' be a better fit than 'maladroit'?

The meanings of awkward and maladroit largely overlap; however, awkward is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact. // periods of awkward silence

Q: When would 'clumsy' be a good substitute for 'maladroit'?

While the synonyms clumsy and maladroit are close in meaning, clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill. // a clumsy mechanic

Q: When is 'gauche' a more appropriate choice than 'maladroit'?

In some situations, the words gauche and maladroit are roughly equivalent. However, gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding. // felt gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties

Q: Where would 'inept' be a reasonable alternative to 'maladroit'?

The synonyms inept and maladroit are sometimes interchangeable, but inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy. // a hopelessly inept defense attorney

maladroit

adjective

ˌma-lə-ˈdrȯit

Definition of maladroit next

as in clumsy

lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands some maladroit steering on her part caused the bicycle to go crashing into the bushes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awkward

showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation) the socially maladroit young man often has a difficult time meeting new people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective maladroit contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of maladroit are awkward, clumsy, gauche, and inept. While all these words mean "not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct)," maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations.

a maladroit politician

When might awkward be a better fit than maladroit?

The meanings of awkward and maladroit largely overlap; however, awkward is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact.

periods of awkward silence

When would clumsy be a good substitute for maladroit?

While the synonyms clumsy and maladroit are close in meaning, clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill.

a clumsy mechanic

When is gauche a more appropriate choice than maladroit?

In some situations, the words gauche and maladroit are roughly equivalent. However, gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding.

felt gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties

Where would inept be a reasonable alternative to maladroit?

The synonyms inept and maladroit are sometimes interchangeable, but inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy.

a hopelessly inept defense attorney

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 maladroit Michael Strassner, who co-wrote the film with Duplass, stars as Cliff, a physically maladroit, mildly depressive but sweet-natured man whose thick beard and portly bearing suggest Lord of the Rings-era Peter Jackson. —

Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025 DeSantis tried to take his show on the road via a quest for the presidential nomination, but his culture warfare didn’t obscure his maladroit skills on the stump. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025 After the election came a string of unflattering headlines about her alleged mismanagement of the vice president’s office and her sometimes maladroit communication of the president’s agenda, most notably on immigration. —

Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 22 July 2024 Every possible strategy that Senate Republicans might be following is maladroit to a degree one associates less with the Senate than with the House under Speaker Kevin McCarthy. —

Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2023 Factor in a politically maladroit Afghan government and endemic corruption, and once the Taliban began to roll up government surrenders in the provinces, their offensive took on a life of its own. —

The Editors, National Review, 15 Aug. 2021 The series is itself like a socially awkward teen-age nerd—charming but maladroit, heedless, a little exhausting. —

Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 10 May 2020 His own party criticizes what many call his maladroit communication on an anxiety-inducing subject. —

Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 9 Dec. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maladroit

Adjective

But weighting the draft odds is a delicate business — and one the Bulls remain committed to approaching with a clumsy commitment to competitiveness.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Kurt's key takeaway Scammers are no longer relying only on clumsy emails or obvious red flags.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026