1
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
getting the ungainly couch up the stairs was a real chore
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awkward
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the tree cutter was crushing any unlucky petunias that lay in the path of his ungainly tread
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ungainly
Straining for its ungainly combination of action, romance and silly comedy, Love Hurts doesn’t fully succeed in any department.
—
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But then, only an actor who doesn’t quite fit in could have brought László to life with his ungainly, spirited passion, vanity and self-belief intact.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
The apparent impact is on video, with the ungainly trims placed on the picture demanded by a wide corner a thing of the past on the S25 Utlra.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
With two soldiers able to wrestle the ungainly seven foot long M20 into position on its tripod, the mobility of such a lethal system proved to be a game changer.
—Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But then, only an actor who doesn’t quite fit in could have brought László to life with his ungainly, spirited passion, vanity and self-belief intact.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
The apparent impact is on video, with the ungainly trims placed on the picture demanded by a wide corner a thing of the past on the S25 Utlra.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
With two soldiers able to wrestle the ungainly seven foot long M20 into position on its tripod, the mobility of such a lethal system proved to be a game changer.
—Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungainly
Adjective
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For those things that are bigger, or subject to rough forces like clumsy human hands, through-hole soldering is still required, with leads poked through a connective hole and solder applied to connect and join them securely.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025
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The rubber sole is also important for clumsy gals like myself.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There was an awkward overhead in the third game that Sinner couldn’t meet square on.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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But the timing of the Rockies’ decision was awkward.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Unlike its larger counterparts that may feel unwieldy within the confines of the hallowed relish tray, the little forks are just the right size for daintily placing in small bowls of various pickled delights, from okra to onions, or nestling alongside the crudités.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
10 May 2025
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Comment By necessity of its ambitious and sometimes unwieldy four-seasons-in-one structure, the second season of Andor has developed, at its midway point, a complex relationship with time.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Crumb’s gawky, eccentric persona was first revealed to the wider public in a 1994 documentary made by his friend Terry Zwigoff, which portrays the cartoonist with all of his incongruities.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
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Take it from a film critic: Even gawky beta nerds get smothered by their own internalized masculinity.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The development partnership, the Vets Collective, relied on tax credit financing, a cumbersome process that not only can add years to a project but also only funds housing.—
Doug Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
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My cumbersome climbing gear rests, along with everyone else’s, on a tarp.—
Michael Ray Taylor,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Her hands became too unsteady after 2000 to continue drawing.—
Hilarie M. Sheets,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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Something long and meandering like this: For the next four years, the United States will be an unpredictable, unsteady global superpower run by a fascist oligarchy, in which the people’s representatives cater to a madman’s whim.—
Eli Grober,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Social-media companies try to stem cartels’ activity on their sites, but their efforts have been sporadic and uncoordinated.—
Antón Barba-Kay,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2025
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Yet compared with the first Trump administration, when the threat to American democracy was not as stark, the resistance today is limited and uncoordinated.—
Laura Gamboa,
Foreign Affairs,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungainly. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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