as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
even my five-year-old laptop seems clunky next to some of the really slim new models
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Recent Examples of clunky
The clunky suit was uncomfortable and yes, claustrophobic.
—
Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Glass bottle is a little clunky Stubborn dark spots and uneven skin patches have nothing on this energizing cleanser that has AHA, BHA, papaya enzymes, and ginger root to help even tone and minimize large pores.
—Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 17 July 2025
Meetings feel clunky, casual collaboration is inconsistent, and relationships that once felt natural now require more effort.
—Marissa Fernandez, Harvard Business Review, 17 July 2025
Flashback: Except for that stirring, time-reversal scene in the Superman of 1978, the Christopher Reeve films were clunky quasi-camp.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Glass bottle is a little clunky Stubborn dark spots and uneven skin patches have nothing on this energizing cleanser that has AHA, BHA, papaya enzymes, and ginger root to help even tone and minimize large pores.
—Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 17 July 2025
Meetings feel clunky, casual collaboration is inconsistent, and relationships that once felt natural now require more effort.
—Marissa Fernandez, Harvard Business Review, 17 July 2025
Flashback: Except for that stirring, time-reversal scene in the Superman of 1978, the Christopher Reeve films were clunky quasi-camp.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
-
Dream plays are difficult to execute—whimsy is easily crushed by clumsy handling.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
25 July 2025
-
Despite a clumsy apology tour, Hogan was never able to completely shake his darkest moment.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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The house was a little awkward and needed some work, including in the living room, which had a mix of original wood flooring and vinyl.—
Thomas Fuller,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
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Once Mercury goes direct on Aug. 11, the awkward conversations or delays with friends or teammates start to smooth out.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Developers have complained for years that the city’s cumbersome construction permitting process takes far too long, adding costs to projects.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
22 July 2025
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The best thing of all are the performances of early American folk songs that the two men record on cumbersome equipment.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The difficulty comes with the 2-in-1 capability, where the laptop's large screen becomes a downright unwieldy tablet.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
17 July 2025
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From some perspectives, that expansion is revolutionary; recent studies have found that AI has the potential to provide more accurate medical diagnoses and help make sense of complex and unwieldy data.—
Julia Sullivan,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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