Adjacent Words

Clumsy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLUMSY, a. s as z. [from clump, lump.]
1. Properly, short and thick, like a clump or lump. Hence,
2. Moving heavily, slowly or awkwardly; as clumsy fingers.
3. Awkward; ungainly; unhandy; artless; without readiness, dexterity or grace; as a clumsy man; a clumsy fellow.
4. Ill-made; badly constructed; as a clumsy garment; clumsy verse.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: lacking grace in movement or posture; "a gawky lad with long ungainly legs"; "clumsy fingers"; "what an ungainly creature a giraffe is"; "heaved his unwieldy figure out of his chair" [syn: gawky, clumsy, clunky, ungainly, unwieldy]
2: not elegant or graceful in expression; "an awkward prose style"; "a clumsy apology"; "his cumbersome writing style"; "if the rumor is true, can anything be more inept than to repeat it now?" [syn: awkward, clumsy, cumbersome, inapt, inept, ill-chosen]
3: difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape; "an awkward bundle to carry"; "a load of bunglesome paraphernalia"; "clumsy wooden shoes"; "the cello, a rather ungainly instrument for a girl" [syn: awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, ungainly]
4: showing lack of skill or aptitude; "a bungling workman"; "did a clumsy job"; "his fumbling attempt to put up a shelf" [syn: bungling, clumsy, fumbling, incompetent]

Merriam Webster's

adjective (clumsier; -est) Etymology: probably from obsolete English clumse benumbed with cold Date: circa 1598 1. a. lacking dexterity, nimbleness, or grace <clumsy fingers> b. lacking tact or subtlety <a clumsy joke> 2. awkward or inefficient in use or construction ; unwieldy <a clumsy contraption> Synonyms: see awkward • clumsily adverb • clumsiness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. (clumsier, clumsiest) 1 awkward in movement or shape; ungainly. 2 difficult to handle or use. 3 tactless. Derivatives: clumsily adv. clumsiness n. Etymology: obs. clumse be numb with cold (prob. f. Scand.)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clumsy Clum"sy, a. [Compar. Clumsier; superl. Clumsiest.] [OE. clumsed benumbed, fr. clumsen to be benumbed; cf. Icel. klumsa lockjaw, dial. Sw. klummsen benumbed with cold. Cf. 1st Clam, and 1st Clamp.] 1. Stiff or benumbed, as with cold. [Obs.] 2. Without skill or grace; wanting dexterity, nimbleness, or readiness; stiff; awkward, as if benumbed; unwieldy; unhandy; hence; ill-made, misshapen, or inappropriate; as, a clumsy person; a clumsy workman; clumsy fingers; a clumsy gesture; a clumsy excuse. But thou in clumsy verse, unlicked, unpointed, Hast shamefully defied the Lord's anointed. --Dryden. Syn: See Awkward.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(clumsier, clumsiest) 1. A clumsy person moves or handles things in a careless, awkward way, often so that things are knocked over or broken. Unfortunately, I was still very clumsy behind the wheel of the jeep. = awkward ADJ • clumsily The rooks flew clumsily towards their nests. ADV: ADV with v • clumsiness Ben's biggest problem is clumsiness. N-UNCOUNT 2. A clumsy action or statement is not skilful or is likely to upset people. The action seemed a clumsy attempt to topple the Janata Dal government... He denied the announcement was clumsy and insensitive. ADJ • clumsily If the matter were handled clumsily, it could cost Miriam her life. ADV: usu ADV with v • clumsiness I was ashamed at my clumsiness and insensitivity.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Unwieldy, ponderous, heavy, lumbering, ill-shaped, ill-made. 2. Awkward, unhandy, bungling, blundering, maladroit, inapt, unskilful, without dexterity.

Moby Thesaurus

Doric, all thumbs, awkward, barbaric, barbarous, blunderheaded, blundering, boorish, botched, bovine, bulky, bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, cacophonous, careless, cloddish, clownish, clumsy-fisted, coarse, contrary, crosswise, crude, cumbersome, cumbrous, deficient, discommodious, doggerel, dysphemistic, elephantine, fingers all thumbs, fumbling, gauche, gawkish, gawky, graceless, gross, half-assed, ham-fisted, ham-handed, haphazard, harsh, heavy-handed, hit-and-miss, hit-or-miss, hulking, hulky, impractical, improper, impure, in bad taste, incommodious, inconcinnate, inconcinnous, inconvenient, incorrect, indecorous, inelegant, inept, infelicitous, left-hand, left-handed, loutish, low, lubberly, lumbering, lumpish, lumpy, maladroit, massive, massy, messy, oafish, outlandish, perverse, ponderous, promiscuous, rude, slipshod, slipshoddy, sloppy, slovenly, sluttish, splay, stiff, tasteless, troublesome, uncourtly, uncouth, undignified, uneuphonious, unfelicitous, ungainly, ungraced, ungraceful, unhandy, unhappy, unmanageable, unpolished, unrefined, unseemly, untidy, unwieldy, vulgar, wooden