as in clumsy
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
that's a ham-fisted paint job if I ever saw one
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Recent Examples of ham-fisted
Smiling, Pierre dropped his head and patted me on the back, like a father watching his ham-fisted, stumbling toddler.
—
Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
And some obvious references to the Garden of Eden with a woman named Eve searching for her truth are ham-fisted, but also a hallmark of the genre.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025
The bill could not have been better designed to violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause; as a law school practice problem, it would have been considered a little ham-fisted.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
At the same time, this might also be the most ham-fisted.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Musk’s tactics are ham-fisted, but the bottom line in ensuring the country’s bottom line is sound, is a good one and worth pursuing.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
Merz’s gambit, though ham-fisted, was a recognition that rebuilding public trust around migration policy will be key to the next government’s success.
—Ido Vock, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
And some obvious references to the Garden of Eden with a woman named Eve searching for her truth are ham-fisted, but also a hallmark of the genre.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025
The bill could not have been better designed to violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause; as a law school practice problem, it would have been considered a little ham-fisted.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
At the same time, this might also be the most ham-fisted.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Musk’s tactics are ham-fisted, but the bottom line in ensuring the country’s bottom line is sound, is a good one and worth pursuing.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
Merz’s gambit, though ham-fisted, was a recognition that rebuilding public trust around migration policy will be key to the next government’s success.
—Ido Vock, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ham-fisted
Adjective
-
After the zapfest on Earth, the anti-climactic tussle between the forces of good and evil occurs back on Eternia, where He-Man and his nemesis cross swords in a clumsy fight that’s not only predictable but also photographed and edited poorly.—
Jeffrey Ressner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
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The simple walking pattern adopted by fish, which the Cambridge researchers call an ‘undulating tripod gait’, can appear to be quite clumsy and involves too much flopping.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Indeed, a dying wish and a cryptic clue lead the unlikely duo on a journey full of twists and turns, bad choices, awkward conversations, lies, fights, mystery, betrayal, and a dangerous killer.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Stakeholder facilitation and consensus-building bridge communication gaps and ease awkward conversations about one’s own compensation.—
Jim Hebets,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ham-fisted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ham-fisted. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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