1
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
getting the ungainly couch up the stairs was a real chore
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awkward
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the tree cutter was crushing any unlucky petunias that lay in the path of his ungainly tread
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ungainly
In 2022, the Albany Dems bypassed the IRC and drew an ugly ungainly district running around the shores of the Long Island Sound from Suffolk across Nassau, Queens, the Bronx and Westchester all the way to the Connecticut border, an unconstitutional gerrymander.
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2024
This is an ungainly and unpalatable status quo, especially given the litany of war crimes perpetrated by Assad’s regime, but the further consolidation of power under Assad would still be worse for the people living in Syria’s northwest.
—Jeremy Konyndyk, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2023
Recall that the current name of our baseball stadium was an ungainly compromise between then-owner Eli Jacobs and Gov. William Donald Schaefer.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2024
Except when a whipping was required or when someone felt like ridiculing me for my ungainly height or my unfortunate hair or my dubious parentage.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ungainly 
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2024
This is an ungainly and unpalatable status quo, especially given the litany of war crimes perpetrated by Assad’s regime, but the further consolidation of power under Assad would still be worse for the people living in Syria’s northwest.
—Jeremy Konyndyk, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2023
Recall that the current name of our baseball stadium was an ungainly compromise between then-owner Eli Jacobs and Gov. William Donald Schaefer.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2024
Except when a whipping was required or when someone felt like ridiculing me for my ungainly height or my unfortunate hair or my dubious parentage.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ungainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungainly
Adjective
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Far from prolific in front of goal, the Senegalese looked out of sorts, full of running and hunger to score but clumsy, his anxious limbs snatching at chances rather than taking them naturally.Henry Flynn, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
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The first few episodes were rife with clumsy and, at times, confusing time jumps, many that seemed tacked on to preexisting scenes in an effort to retrofit them for a new, Costner-less reality.Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Read More: The Surprising Benefits of Talking Out Loud to Yourself Things might feel a little awkward during those early sessions, and that's normal, says Grant.Perri Ormont Blumberg, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
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Fentanyl abuse isn't the only opioid that can cause the awkward body reaction, Ciccarone said.James Ward, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Ideally, this is no more than a few because fielding questions and evaluating responses becomes unwieldy as the number of vendors increases.Peter Karlson, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
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The United States Code of Federal Regulations, towering at over 145 million words, represents one of the most complex and unwieldy legal systems in human history.Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Carmello, a three-time Tony nominee, delivers an exquisite performance, equal parts gawky and wise, a tender-hearted girl feeling every slight but also always slightly above the fray.Karen D'Souza, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
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Here, Finnigan is gawky and eager in a T-shirt and jeans, with a few helpful props on hand, determined to tick all the boxes just so.Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Ah yes, the most First World of First World problems: Shouldering the inconvenience of cumbersome tech installation.Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
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Crossing Times Square in a ball gown with a cumbersome hoop skirt isn’t easy, for example, but Adams found a way to turn it into a motif.Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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As Mayer's car pushed into Retzlaff's from behind, the unsteady contact propelled Retzlaff into the outside wall, with Josh Williams striking Mayer from behind and subsequently being hit by Chandler Smith.David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
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What this general move toward more daring design says about the end of 2024 is that this continues to be an unsteady year for watches, both financially and aesthetically.Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Internal silos hinder customer experience because uncoordinated teams cannot provide a holistic and simple process to customers.Max Soloshchanskiy, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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The violence perpetrated by pro-ISIS groups in this region has been episodic and uncoordinated, but the underlying trend is clear—ISIS has shifted away from its initial concern with sovereignty over land and people, moving, in the process, toward a decentralized, global insurgency model.Zachary Abuza, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2019
Thesaurus Entries Near ungainly
Cite this Entry
“Ungainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungainly. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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