What does clumsy mean?

Definitions for clumsy
ˈklʌm ziclum·sy

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word clumsy.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. gawky, clumsy, clunky, ungainly, unwieldyadjective

    lacking grace in movement or posture

    "a gawky lad with long ungainly legs"; "clumsy fingers"; "what an ungainly creature a giraffe is"; "heaved his unwieldy figure out of his chair"

  2. awkward, clumsy, cumbersome, inapt, inept, ill-chosenadjective

    not elegant or graceful in expression

    "an awkward prose style"; "a clumsy apology"; "his cumbersome writing style"; "if the rumor is true, can anything be more inept than to repeat it now?"

  3. awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, ungainlyadjective

    difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape

    "an awkward bundle to carry"; "a load of bunglesome paraphernalia"; "clumsy wooden shoes"; "the cello, a rather ungainly instrument for a girl"

  4. bungling, clumsy, fumbling, incompetentadjective

    showing lack of skill or aptitude

    "a bungling workman"; "did a clumsy job"; "his fumbling attempt to put up a shelf"

Wiktionary

  1. clumsynoun

    A clumsy person.

  2. clumsyadjective

    awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous

    He's very clumsy. I wouldn't trust him with carrying the dishes.

  3. clumsyadjective

    Not elegant or well-planned, lacking tact or subtlety

  4. clumsyadjective

    awkward or inefficient in use or construction, difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. CLUMSYadjective

    Awkward; heavy; artless; unhandy; without dexterity, readiness, or grace. It is used either of persons or actions, or things.

    Etymology: This word, omitted in the other etymologists, is rightly derived by Nathan Bailey from lompsch, Dutch, stupid. In English, lump, clump, lumpish, clumpish, clumpishly, clumsily, clumsy.

    The matter ductile and sequacious, apt to be moulded into such shapes and machines, even by clumsy fingers. John Ray.

    But thou in clumsy verse, unlick’d, unpointed,
    Hast shamefully defy’d. Dryden.

    That clumsy outside of a porter,
    How could it thus conceal a courtier? Jonathan Swift.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Clumsy

    stiff or benumbed, as with cold

  2. Clumsy

    without skill or grace; wanting dexterity, nimbleness, or readiness; stiff; awkward, as if benumbed; unwieldy; unhandy; hence; ill-made, misshapen, or inappropriate; as, a clumsy person; a clumsy workman; clumsy fingers; a clumsy gesture; a clumsy excuse

Freebase

  1. Clumsy

    "Clumsy" is a song by American recording artist Fergie from her debut album, The Dutchess. The song was released as the album's fifth single on September 25, 2007. It was written by Fergie, Bobby Troup and will.i.am, who also produced the track. It was partially recorded in Los Angeles and in the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. The song's lyrics about being clumsy and in love flow alongside its computerized and bleeping beat taken from "The Bubble Bunch" by Jimmy Spicer, as well as a sample of "The Girl Can't Help It", originally performed by Little Richard. The song received generally mixed to positive reviews. Critics praised the Little Richard sample and the goofy lyrics on feelings of love. Some critics deemed it to be the album's highlight and pop at its finest, while others considered it flat. "Clumsy" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Fergie's fifth straight top five hit in the US. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold over two million downloads in the country. Internationally, the song peaked in the top five in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The song's music video, directed by Marc Webb and Rich Lee, is stylized like a pop-up book and features Swedish model Alex Lundqvist as Fergie's love interest.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Clumsy

    klum′zi, adj. shapeless: ill-made: unwieldy: awkward: ungainly.—adj. Clum′sily.—n. Clum′siness. [M. E. clomsen, to be stiff or benumbed; most prob. Scand.; allied to Clamp.]

Anagrams for clumsy »

  1. muscly

  2. cumyls

How to pronounce clumsy?

How to say clumsy in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of clumsy in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of clumsy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of clumsy in a Sentence

  1. Hillary Clinton:

    I think it was one of the major contributors to the outcome, propaganda works. Advertising works. It’s a form of propaganda. So the Russians may have started out a little heavy-handed and clumsy about it, but they were clearly getting guided as to where to target a lot of their fraudulent claims and phony news.

  2. E. M. Forster:

    A funeral is not death, any more than baptism is birth or marriage union. All three are the clumsy devices, coming now too late, now too early, by which Society would register the quick motions of man.

  3. Geraldo Rivera:

    I'm generally pro-union, but this walkout was clumsy, it was spiteful. It was absolutely devastating for these children's well-being. Where are they going to eat, some of these families now? I think it's absolutely awful. This is … absolutely cruel what they have done to these children.

  4. H. G. Wells, 1903:

    The forceps of our minds are clumsy forceps, and crush the truth a little in taking hold of it.

  5. Shavkat Sabirov:

    The worst thing is that this is, at the same time, (a tool of) total control, a clumsy attempt to protect themselves from external threats, and a great opportunity for cyber criminals.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

clumsy#10000#28776#100000

Translations for clumsy

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • أخرقArabic
  • несръчен, тромавBulgarian
  • neohrabaný, nemotorný, nešikovný, nevhodnýCzech
  • klobig, tollpatschig, schwerfällig, Tölpel, ungeschickt, sperrig, unhandlich, plump, unbeholfenGerman
  • αδέξιοςGreek
  • patoso, desmañado, torpeSpanish
  • rohmakas, kohmakasEstonian
  • چلاغ, قناس, چلفتیPersian
  • kömpelöFinnish
  • gauche, maladroitFrench
  • tútach, ciotach, liobarnachIrish
  • cearbach, liobastaScottish Gaelic
  • szakszerűtlen, esetlen, balkezes, ügyetlen, otrombaHungarian
  • անշնորհք, անփույթArmenian
  • impacciato, maldestro, rozzo, goffo, sgraziato, malfattoItalian
  • 不器用なJapanese
  • pakihawa, ninipa, pekengoheMāori
  • stuntelig, onhandigDutch
  • niezgrabny, niezdarnyPolish
  • atrapalhado, desajeitadoPortuguese
  • maladesterRomansh
  • neîndemânatic, butucănos, greoi, grosolan, stângaciRomanian
  • неловкий, неудобный, неповоротливый, неуклюжийRussian
  • otymplig, drumlig, klant, klantig, svårhanterlig, drummel, klumpig, osmidigSwedish
  • ซุ่มซ่ามThai
  • незграбнийUkrainian

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"clumsy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 1 Apr. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/clumsy>.

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    »
    a decorative musical accompaniment (often improvised) added above a basic melody
    • A. abet
    • B. fluster
    • C. descant
    • D. monish

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