lacking in skill or physical coordination awkwardly constructed or contrived
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
clum•sy /ˈklʌmzi/USA pronunciation
adj., -si•er, -si•est.
clum•si•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- awkward in movement or use;
lacking skill:a clumsy dancer. - awkwardly or poorly done:a clumsy apology.
- awkward or difficult to control or handle:The heavy motorcycle was clumsy on the road.
clum•si•ness, n. [uncountable]
clum•sy
(klum′zē),USA pronunciation adj., -si•er, -si•est.
clum′si•ly, adv.
clum′si•ness, n.
- awkward in movement or action;
without skill or grace:He is very clumsy and is always breaking things. - awkwardly done or made;
unwieldy;
ill-contrived:He made a clumsy, embarrassed apology.
- 1590–1600; clums benumbed with cold (now obsolete) + -y1; akin to Middle English clumsen to be stiff with cold, dialect, dialectal Swedish klumsig benumbed, awkward, klums numbskull, Old Norse klumsa lockjaw. See clam2
clum′si•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged ungraceful, ungainly, lumbering, lubberly.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unhandy, unskillful, maladroit, inexpert, bungling, bumbling, heavy-handed, inept.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged adroit, skillful.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'clumsy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
adroit
- ambisinister
- ape
- artless
- awkward
- bear
- bearish
- bloop
- blunder
- bodge
- bodgie
- boor
- boorish
- botch
- bulky
- bull
- bumble
- bumbleheaded
- bungle
- bunglesome
- butterfingers
- cack-handed
- chucklehead
- clever
- clodhopper
- clown
- clunky
- cobbler
- crude
- cumbersome
- dabster
- dexterous
- dodo
- duffer
- elephantine
- flat-footed
- flatfooted
- fudge
- galoot
- gauche
- gaumless
- gawk
- gawky
- golem
- goof
- ham
- ham-fisted
- ham-handed
- hand
- handless