as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design even my five-year-old laptop seems clunky next to some of the really slim new models

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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 clunky Many people won’t like the combat, and a couple of the boss fights are a little clunky. Matt Gardner, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 Precise and clunky and exactly what the movie is at the same time. Carrie Wittmer, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025 However, setup was clunky, and some features that were supported on the PS5 weren't supported on PC. Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025 The dialogue can get clunky and overexplicit, but the story springs to life in theatrical imagery that materializes and dissolves with dreamlike ease. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
  • Kisses her mouth, but the gesture is awkward, clumsy; their teeth strike together, and Brianna winces.
    Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
  • As well as making a star of Alicia Silverstone, the original movie showcased the talents of Paul Rudd who played her stepbrother Josh (and went onto become Phoebe’s partner in Friends and take on the role of Ant Man) and the late Brittany Murphy, who played Cher’s clumsy friend Tai.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The latest breakthrough attempts have been met with ridicule as Republicans blast Democrats for awkward social media posts and videos.
    Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Earlier this week, Richards and Umansky had an emotional, yet awkward chat on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills about the July 2024 photos of him kissing another woman.
    Jack Irvin, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Eliminating the department altogether would be a cumbersome task, which likely would require an act of Congress.
    Annie Ma and Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The team concluded that based on the spinal column, the combination of a great white build with the megalodon's much longer length would have simply proved too cumbersome.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The New York Yankees injury list is reaching unwieldy levels.
    Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The result is a system that makes traditional notions of childhood – with its unwieldy dependencies, its inefficient play and its demands for attention and care – increasingly untenable.
    Anna Mae Duane, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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