Definitions

clumsy

[kluhm-zee] / ˈklʌm zi /

ADJECTIVE

not agile; awkward

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bulky heavy-handed inept ponderous ungainly unwieldy

WEAK

all thumbs blundering blunderous bumbling bungling butterfingered clownish crude elephantine gauche gawkish gawky graceless ham-handed heavy helpless hulking ill-shaped incompetent inelegant inexperienced inexpert lubberly lumbering lumpish maladroit oafish splay stumbling unable unadept uncoordinated uncouth undexterous uneasy unhandy unskillful untactful untalented untoward weedy

Antonyms

WEAK

adroit agile athletic clever coordinated couth dexterous expert graceful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What’s weird and slightly clumsy is that he said he was taking a break from his golf game only to show up on the course with another friend/potential client.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

Mary, on the other hand, is a clumsy bird who, in Hadlow’s telling, becomes a perfectly capable duckling swimming fiercely amid a bevy of swans.

From Salon • May 20, 2026

The production is a revival of the disappointingly fussy, clumsy, old-fashioned one by Lee Blakeley the company unveiled in 2013 for Conlon and to celebrate the Verdi bicentennial.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

"That's nothing more than clumsy from White. There is connection but he got the ball first. One of those decisions where if it's not given on field you don't interfere."

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

One day just as we had given up hope, huge gray clouds, large and clumsy as elephants, came rolling in.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

Vocabulary lists containing clumsy

Awkward Moments

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"Dulce et Decorum Est," by Wilfred Owen

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List 5

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