uncleveradj.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈklɛvə/, /(ˌ)ʌŋˈklɛvə/, U.S. /ˌənˈklɛvər/ Not clever; not intelligent. Also: not skilful or dexterous.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > [adjective] > lacking ingenuity or cleverness
uncrafty1483
uningenious1769
uncontriving1774
unclever1775
deviceless1851
1775 J. Ash New Dict. Eng. Lang. Unclever, not clever.
1794 Earl of Malmesbury Diaries & Corr. III. 117 Not unclever but importunate.
1870 Daily News 23 Dec. Those garments..which her lazy or unclever fingers do not care to preserve tidy.
1890 S. J. Duncan Social Departure xii. 112 We felt most clumsy and bungling and unclever.
1943 R. P. Warren At Heaven's Gate xxvii. 389 He had some difficulty in picking more up, for..his hand was cold and unclever.
1967 Alton (Illinois) Evening Tel. 26 Apr. b7/1 He was a very unclever con man.
2009 N. Baker Anthologist v. 70 The rhyming is so painfully inept—like unclever Ogden Nash gone squiffy.
Derivatives
unˈcleverness n.
ΚΠ
1856 T. Goldstũcker Dict. Sanskrit & Eng. 160/2 Uncleverness, awkwardness.
1922 Advocate of Peace 84 245/1 It ought not to be necessary to remind the clever French people of the uncleverness of maintaining these colored troops on German soil.
2012 S. Frederick I see Your Soul Mate 233 In a moment of amazing un-cleverness, I asked, ‘Don't I know you from somewhere?’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1775