as in clumsy
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the stiff, gawky gait of a newborn colt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gawky
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Hiccup, played this time with game and gawky charm by Mason Thames, has been raised to think the only solution to violence is more violence.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes.
—Literary Hub, 22 May 2025
Mull had his laconic delivery and blonde mustache; Flaherty was tall and gawky, a human Adam’s apple.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gawky
Adjective
Agnes has a gawky, floppy-haired beauty, a gently appraising stare, quizzically arching eyebrows, and a tendency to listen with her mouth half open, as if in anticipation of a punch line that will take her, and us, by surprise.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Hiccup, played this time with game and gawky charm by Mason Thames, has been raised to think the only solution to violence is more violence.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes.
—Literary Hub, 22 May 2025
Mull had his laconic delivery and blonde mustache; Flaherty was tall and gawky, a human Adam’s apple.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gawky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawky
Adjective
-
The tech driving my first clumsy steps included a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) and GPS sensors monitoring each ski’s position and the weight and angle of my heel.—
Kendall Hunter,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Less impactful but notable, Riley added Jimmy Butler to join the Bam Adebayo/Tyler Herro core in 2020, though Butler fell short of delivering a championship before eventually pouting his way lout of town and being traded one year ago, last Feb. 6.—
Greg Cote
January 30,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Suddenly, these two louts are forced to support themselves for the first time.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The image became a meme, repeatedly used to portray Miliband as awkward.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The communication was straightforward and a bit awkward, sadly missing the mentions of Nancy Guthrie’s humanity that had peppered the family’s first video.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And in the 1939 film, the Wizard is a kind of bumbling oaf who has stumbled onto the levers of power (almost literally).—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
21 Nov. 2025
-
The Irish independence-supporting Fenians, represented primarily by hotheaded oaf Paddy (Seamus O’Hara) and his more strategically minded sister Ellen (Niamh McCormack), loathe the family’s conservative unionist policies.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The movie begins in 1989, when Martin was just out of her teens and fighting in Toughwoman contests, and spans 22 years, providing all sorts of opportunities for ungainly period hairstyles, from a ragged pageboy to a curly mullet to a frizzy shag.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
It was taken when Naumov was about 3, a little tyke trying to find his footing on the ice for the first time.—
Dave Skretta,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Jan. 2026
-
There are two scenes that show the transformation of main characters into the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, and while the more harrowing stuff is seen in flashes or close-ups, there’s still some unnerving body horror that could give tykes nightmares.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Every one of these new bits of hardware introduced a new set of uncoordinated chatter of alarms that simply produced noise.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Woody was a slightly uncoordinated and not-so-strong cowboy cop who relied more on his sense of humor than his brawn.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Carrie raves to Seema about her creative connection with Duncan, and during another writing session, Duncan helps Carrie with her faulty printer and gawks at her closet full of designer dresses and shoes.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
31 July 2025
-
Here, the blurring is visual: Sometimes Leonard floats into the past looking like Gere, who wears the character without a shred of self-protection as the lens gawks at his raw skin.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Gawky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawky. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
