as in clumsy
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the stiff, gawky gait of a newborn colt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 gawky
John Burek, PC Magazine, 20 May 2025
Crumb’s gawky, eccentric persona was first revealed to the wider public in a 1994 documentary made by his friend Terry Zwigoff, which portrays the cartoonist with all of his incongruities.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
Take it from a film critic: Even gawky beta nerds get smothered by their own internalized masculinity.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
Brittany Murphy, who co-starred as gawky new kid Tai, sadly passed away in 2009.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gawky
Noun
The one big cable that neither of the solutions could easily eliminate, however, is the big, gawky PCI Express power cable that runs in and out of a graphics card, which to an extent spoils the effect.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 20 May 2025
Crumb’s gawky, eccentric persona was first revealed to the wider public in a 1994 documentary made by his friend Terry Zwigoff, which portrays the cartoonist with all of his incongruities.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
Take it from a film critic: Even gawky beta nerds get smothered by their own internalized masculinity.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
Brittany Murphy, who co-starred as gawky new kid Tai, sadly passed away in 2009.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gawky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawky
Adjective
-
This is a huge bonus for a clumsy gal like myself, who often trips over air.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
People.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
The scale of the problem became terrifyingly clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the Japanese government struggled to respond to a nationwide crisis with clumsy digital tools.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There’s at least one major shoe that could drop — why devote an entire episode to the Gemstone origin story if that gold Bible isn’t going to pay off somehow? — but The Righteous Gemstones loves these grotesque, dysfunctional louts.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
-
And when someone does cross the line, like the louts who doused cops in Harlem and Brownsville with water in 2019, most officers have shown remarkable restraint.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
But, sadly, this can be hard to repair once too far gone; naming the dynamic out loud can be daunting and awkward.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
India wants all three guests to remain seated, however awkward the conversation may be.—
Spriha Srivastava,
CNBC,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Either Sandler could make great work but cynically chooses not to in order to make more money, or Sandler is a talentless oaf who somehow was able to achieve something actually good with the help of a visionary director.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
-
Buck is a loquacious, glad-handing oaf who has a boring way with a witty story, and is marked for death.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
On the other, the quick and almost casual way in which Kirsh runs through what he’s figured out is emblematic of an ungainly episode that seems in a rush to get through a lot of things, especially where the Xenomorph is concerned.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
19 Aug. 2025
-
What passes for governance is thus an ungainly patchwork of formal and informal institutions.—
Stewart Patrick,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Dec. 2013
Adjective
-
Moreover, uncoordinated attacks, often by motivated individuals acting on their own, can still occur, as has happened in Israel since 2023.—
DANIEL BYMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2025
-
In my experience, a single, properly underwritten advance is almost always safer and more sustainable than several uncoordinated ones.—
Raymond Grand,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Instead of killing the child or turning him in, Mando takes the 50-year-old lil' tyke in search of a safe place for him while dodging other bounty hunters and what remains of the Imperial forces.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
25 May 2025
-
Ashley Johnson, who played the adorable tyke Chrissy Seaver on two seasons of Growing Pains, stopped by the Pod Meets World recording studio to chat with Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
Carrie raves to Seema about her creative connection with Duncan, and during another writing session, Duncan helps Carrie with her faulty printer and gawks at her closet full of designer dresses and shoes.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
31 July 2025
-
Here, the blurring is visual: Sometimes Leonard floats into the past looking like Gere, who wears the character without a shred of self-protection as the lens gawks at his raw skin.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Gawky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawky. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share