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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ungainly
Examples imported from 1975 through 1985 had rather ungainly impact bumpers, so early, chrome-bumper cars are aesthetically more desirable.
—
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
You're locked into an ungainly, spread armed, weak kneed
Character: snowplow.
—Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
And Farley was wild, crashing through tables, cramming himself into ungainly costumes, and going full red-faced dynamo mode all in pursuit of every last laugh in the building.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Straining for its ungainly combination of action, romance and silly comedy, Love Hurts doesn’t fully succeed in any department.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
You're locked into an ungainly, spread armed, weak kneed
Character: snowplow.
—Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
And Farley was wild, crashing through tables, cramming himself into ungainly costumes, and going full red-faced dynamo mode all in pursuit of every last laugh in the building.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Straining for its ungainly combination of action, romance and silly comedy, Love Hurts doesn’t fully succeed in any department.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungainly
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
-
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
-
Yet that has led to an awkward UX for those who lean into portrait mode.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Even the misstep of Top Secret! yielded its share of laughs, despite attempting to hit an unwieldy jumble of parody targets.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 July 2025
-
Compounding those rising expenses for pet owners can be a deterioration in financial stability, including unwieldy debt burdens, an unexpected (human or animal) medical event, or a job loss.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
27 July 2025
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
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
At the scene, Durham appeared to be unsteady on his feet, slurred his speech and had dilated pupils, according to an arrest affidavit.—
Brad Schmitt,
The Tennessean,
16 July 2025
-
As seen in a video shared on social media by royal reporter Rhiannon Mills of Sky News, William also admitted that his device was unsteady.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
But compared to some other cities, New York’s efforts are piecemeal and uncoordinated.—
Richard McGahey,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
This event was uncoordinated and did not occur on school grounds.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungainly. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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