clumsy
adjectivenouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈklʌmzi//
Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
adjective
- 1
Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
He's very clumsy. I wouldn't trust him with carrying the dishes.
- 2
Not elegant or well-planned, lacking tact or subtlety.
It is a clumsy solution, but it might work for now.
What a clumsy joke
The ravviſh danke of clumzie vvinter ramps / The fluent ſummers vaine: and drizling ſleete / Chilleth the vvan bleak cheek of the numd earth, / VVhilſt ſnarling guſts nibble the iuyceles leaues, / From the nak't ſhuddring branch; […]
- 3
Awkward or inefficient in use or construction, difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape.
Etymology
Possibly from an alteration of clumsed (“benumbed”) or from clumse (“a stupid fellow; lout”) + -y. More at clumse.
noun
- 1
informalA clumsy person.
On the stairs he met Ellen, the housemaid, and as he passed her he knocked the hot-water jug out of her hand. “Well, you are a clumsy,” said Ellen, as she bent down to mop up the water.
Forms
- plural
- clumsies
- comparative
- clumsier
- superlative
- clumsiest
clumsy · Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
cluster · A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to…clutch · To seize, as though with claws.clutches · Grasp; possession; control.