Clum·sy a. [Compar. Clumsier superl. Clumsiest.]
1. Stiff or benumbed, as with cold. [Obs.]
2. 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.
But thou in clumsy verse, unlicked, unpointed,
Hast shamefully defied the Lord's anointed. --Dryden.
Syn: -- See Awkward.
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clumsy
adj 1: 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" [syn: gawky, clunky, ungainly,
unwieldy]
2: 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?" [syn: awkward, cumbersome, inapt,
inept, ill-chosen]
3: 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" [syn: awkward, bunglesome,
ungainly]
4: showing lack of skill or aptitude; "a bungling workman";
"did a clumsy job"; "his fumbling attempt to put up a
shelf" [syn: bungling, fumbling, incompetent]
[also: clumsiest, clumsier]