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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ungainly
But then, only an actor who doesn’t quite fit in could have brought László to life with his ungainly, spirited passion, vanity and self-belief intact.
—
Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
The apparent impact is on video, with the ungainly trims placed on the picture demanded by a wide corner a thing of the past on the S25 Utlra.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
With two soldiers able to wrestle the ungainly seven foot long M20 into position on its tripod, the mobility of such a lethal system proved to be a game changer.
—Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
Series 2 cars, built through 1971, made concessions to U.S. safety regulations, and the Series 3 cars, available as a convertible and an ungainly 2+2, were powered by a 5.3-liter V12 engine.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
The apparent impact is on video, with the ungainly trims placed on the picture demanded by a wide corner a thing of the past on the S25 Utlra.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
With two soldiers able to wrestle the ungainly seven foot long M20 into position on its tripod, the mobility of such a lethal system proved to be a game changer.
—Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
Series 2 cars, built through 1971, made concessions to U.S. safety regulations, and the Series 3 cars, available as a convertible and an ungainly 2+2, were powered by a 5.3-liter V12 engine.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ungainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungainly
Adjective
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Unlike clumsier species that struggle with obstacles, the black mamba leverages every surface with surgical precision, effectively turning the landscape into a series of launchpads.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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There’s also a touching subplot for the clumsy, muted Dopey (Andrew Barth Feldman), who’s regularly the butt of the other dwarfs’ jokes.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The timing is awkward for Google, coming just days after Microsoft’s latest warning implying users would be safer switching from Chrome to Edge.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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While Susan’s style gets all the attention, there’s a story to be told in Roberta’s awkward glow-up, too.—
Scarlett Harris,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The New York Yankees injury list is reaching unwieldy levels.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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A far cry from the gawky and boyish Norman Bates, B.Z. is a floppy-haired, closeted Hollywood player slowly dissolving in his own nihilism.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
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As Andy Kaufman, Nicholas Braun has just the right gawky awkwardness, and his brief, odd, mostly silent appearances in the first half of the film delightfully pay off near the climax.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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As legal professionals gain increasing authority over AI deployment decisions, new internal stakeholders are introduced, making the organizational process of adopting AI systems more cumbersome.—
Nizan Geslevich Packin,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Like so many others, they are left with an impossible choice: involve the criminal justice system — which may be slow, cumbersome and invasive — or do nothing and hope the situation doesn’t escalate.—
Eric Gonzalez,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mike Conroy, executive director at The Economic Co., said that has become common throughout the Bay Area in which rising costs and a more unsteady business environment have prompted development projects to switch gears.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2025
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Set during a tumultuous summer in Lima in 1992, Reinas chronicles the unsteady reunion between a father and his two daughters.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, on the other hand, viewed one another as rivals as much as allies, and their competitive and uncoordinated efforts consistently backfired.—
Marc Lynch,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Aug. 2018
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Contracts for SaaS products go uncoordinated, with separate agencies paying higher prices despite discounts available through collaborative purchases.—
Eric Steele,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungainly. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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