clumsyadjective
uk/ˈklʌm.zi/us/ˈklʌm.zi/awkward in movement or manner:
The first mobile phones were heavy and clumsy to use, but nowadays they are much easier to handle.
My attempts to apologize were very clumsy (= not said well).
B2 A clumsy person often has accidents because they do not behave in a careful, controlled way:
That's the third glass you've smashed this week - you're so clumsy!
More examples
- Her movements were rather clumsy.
- You clumsy oaf! You've broken it!
- She was clumsy and uncoordinated as a girl.
- She made a clumsy curtsey and backed out of the room.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Inability and awkwardness
- accident-prone
- all thumbs idiom
- amateurish
- at your worst idiom
- awkward
- boil
- gauche
- geek
- ham-fisted
- have nothing on sb or sth idiom
- have two left feet idiom
- incapacitate
- nerd
- no great shakes idiom
- not have a prayer idiom
- obey
- organize
- paralysed
- prone
- rubbish
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clumsily
adverb uk/ˈklʌm.zəl.i/us/ˈklʌm.zəl.i/
clumsiness
noun [ U ] uk/ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/us/ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/