Synonyms of ungainly

ungainly

adjective

ˌən-ˈgān-lē 

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

• clumsy
• awkward
• unwieldy
• cumbersome
• clunky
• cumbrous
• ponderous
• heavy
• unhandy
• cranky
• impractical
• massive
• unmanageable
• bulky
• uncontrollable
• bunglesome
• elephantine
• dinosauric
• impracticable
• hulking
• dinosaurian

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• practical
• useful
• functional
• handy
• practicable
• serviceable

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

• clumsy
• awkward
• gawky
• unsteady
• uncoordinated
• klutzy
• shuffling
• graceless
• wobbly
• lumbering
• shambling
• lubberly
• lumpish
• gawkish
• galumphing
• larruping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• graceful
• coordinated
• nimble
• lithe
• light
• lissome
• sure-footed
• light-footed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ungainly

Seydoux tromps through the film with a masculine heaviness — a sense of dysphoria that translates to her character’s ungainly bearing. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 May 2026

In its back-to-back knottiness, the album takes on an ungainly quality that, deliberate or not, sets up roadblocks to prolonged enjoyment. — Maxie Younger, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026

The situation has grown so ungainly and untenable that, if Silicon Valley is merely forced to slow down, the viability of all this spending will likely be called into question in ways that could be devastating for many. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

But the documentary is an ungainly blend of ultra-earnest hagiography and trashy true-crime sensationalism, without being completely satisfying as either. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026

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