clumsy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite lacking grace in movement or posture
    gawky; unwieldy; clunky; ungainly.
    • a gawky lad with long ungainly legs
    • clumsy fingers
    • what an ungainly creature a giraffe is
    • heaved his unwieldy figure out of his chair
  2. adjective satellite not elegant or graceful in expression
    awkward; inept; ill-chosen; inapt; cumbersome.
    • an awkward prose style
    • a clumsy apology
    • his cumbersome writing style
    • if the rumor is true, can anything be more inept than to repeat it now?
  3. adjective satellite difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape
    bunglesome; awkward; ungainly.
    • an awkward bundle to carry
    • a load of bunglesome paraphernalia
    • clumsy wooden shoes
    • the cello, a rather ungainly instrument for a girl
  4. adjective satellite showing lack of skill or aptitude
    fumbling; bungling; incompetent.
    • a bungling workman
    • did a clumsy job
    • his fumbling attempt to put up a shelf

WordNet

Clum"sy adjective
Etymology
OE. clumsed benumbed, fr. clumsen to be benumbed; cf. Icel. klumsa lockjaw, dial. Sw. klummsen benumbed with cold. Cf. 1st Clam, and 1st Clamp.
Wordforms
comparative Clumsier ; superlative Clumsiest
Definitions
  1. Stiff or benumbed, as with cold. Obs.
  2. Without skill or grace; wanting dexterity, nimbleness, or readiness; stiff; awkward, as if benumbed; unwieldy; unhandy; hence; ill-made, misshapen, or inappropriate; as, a clumsy person; a clumsy workman; clumsy fingers; a clumsy gesture; a clumsy excuse.
    But thou in clumsy verse, unlicked, unpointed, Hast shamefully defied the Lord's anointed. Dryden.
    Syn. -- See Awkward.

Webster 1913