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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ungainly
And yet, within quarter of a century, this ungainly apparatus had established itself as a vital pillar of global governance.
—
Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Melbourne, Australia — An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun's rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
The movie begins in 1989, when Martin was just out of her teens and fighting in Toughwoman contests, and spans 22 years, providing all sorts of opportunities for ungainly period hairstyles, from a ragged pageboy to a curly mullet to a frizzy shag.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Melbourne, Australia — An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun's rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
The movie begins in 1989, when Martin was just out of her teens and fighting in Toughwoman contests, and spans 22 years, providing all sorts of opportunities for ungainly period hairstyles, from a ragged pageboy to a curly mullet to a frizzy shag.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungainly
Adjective
-
Our hands soon became insensitive, clumsy hooks.—
Jim Hoagland,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The production is a revival of the disappointingly fussy, clumsy, old-fashioned one by Lee Blakeley the company unveiled in 2013 for Conlon and to celebrate the Verdi bicentennial.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Cohen offered limited clarity on the structure during what at times was a combative and awkward interview, repeatedly directing viewers to the company's website for details.—
Yun Li,Anniek Bao,Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
-
The awkward catching-up process turns into energetic conversations about race, relationships, class, status and rehabilitation, then shifts to deep familial spiritual bonding.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, government continues to grow at an alarming pace, into an unwieldy monster, impossibly big and unmanageable and expensive.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
-
The poor equipment manager was struggling with the unwieldy block.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Somehow, McCarthy’s assurance makes these clichés seem new again, donning them as naturally as O’Connell’s gawky bellboy wearing an old-fashioned red cap.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Played in full, Silent Way induces a pervasive nausea, reveling in gawky soundscapes that seem barely able to contain their outsized, clashing ideas.—
Maxie Younger,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Retirees who have more time to spend in shopping lines become their families’ lifelines, taking on the cumbersome task of searching for food and standing in long lines.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The volunteer, named Jacki and played with warm restraint by Tessa Thompson, has been slowly developing a friendship with Yarris, a mercurial but undeniably charismatic character played by Adrien Brody, your go-to actor for any slight man with a loping, unsteady energy.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Change feels unsteady, and the reader will want to get to stable ground.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The country had lost a generation of promising students and researchers during World War I; its universities were teaching math in uncoordinated, fragmented ways, using materials that were woefully out of date.—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
For a quiet, uncoordinated kid, there was nothing cooler than a hero whose superpower was his imagination.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ungainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungainly. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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