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
• wabbly
• galumphing
• larruping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples of ungainly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is an ungainly and unpalatable status quo, especially given the litany of war crimes perpetrated by Assad’s regime, but the further consolidation of power under Assad would still be worse for the people living in Syria’s northwest. —Jeremy Konyndyk, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2023

Recall that the current name of our baseball stadium was an ungainly compromise between then-owner Eli Jacobs and Gov. William Donald Schaefer. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2024

Except when a whipping was required or when someone felt like ridiculing me for my ungainly height or my unfortunate hair or my dubious parentage. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024

The other featured a duck squawking out the ungainly acronym that gave Aflac its name. —Maria Aspan, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024

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