clumsily

adverb

Definition of clumsilynext
as in ineptly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clumsily That’s how grifters such as Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, two former NBA players insinuating themselves clumsily into the transgender sports debate, create value. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 In June, Luna hopped clumsily from one branch to another, bumping Sandy off her perch and sending her to a branch below. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 With his vision obscured by his makeshift headgear, Momota could be seen clumsily making his way around as visitors watched nearby. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026 This is yet another movie that aims rather clumsily for shock value by dwelling on consumption and meat, like many a grisly eating-disorder horror opus of late. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026 The men’s styles collide clumsily with Nashville’s party people, who are at least a decade younger and many drinks deeper. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 In the Connecticut cases, as well as hundreds of similar cases around the country, the lawyers used software that produced what appeared to be somewhat clumsily written but otherwise solid legal briefs. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2026 Angela can't stop fussing over the kitchen tidiness, while Joe struggles to relax, clumsily attempting to dance seductively for Piña. — Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 There are flying cars held at bay by the power of telekenesis and Park teleporting, as the crew clumsily accept their new ‘hero’ roles and attempt to take on the villains threatening the peace of Haeseong City. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsily
  1. ineptly
  2. awkwardly
  3. gracelessly
  4. laboriously
  5. arduously
Adverb
  • The collapse of the Constitution’s balance of powers between three branches of government got us into an unneeded war conducted ineptly.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of ineptly
Adverb
  • That sits awkwardly against the cost case the category was built on.
    — William Jones, Ascend Agency, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Paranormal Activity, the play, builds to the sort of slick and grisly finale that would be just right for the end of a cruel horror movie, but that lands awkwardly onstage.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of awkwardly
Adverb
  • This kind of beauty has nothing to do with perfection, which is distributed so arbitrarily and approximated so gracelessly.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Definition of gracelessly
Adverb
  • For starters, pulling it off requires running a computer script alongside the game, laboriously entering each round of color feedback into a separate application.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 17 June 2026
  • Each was a career politician who spent decades laboriously climbing the government rungs before being elected governor.
    — Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
Definition of laboriously
Adverb
  • After an arduously long winter, these narrow, modestly sized shops have been—with a suddenness and intensity that only TikTok and Instagram can foment—thronged.
    — David Kamp, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The team sequenced the DNA of 38 different mosquitoes belonging to 11 species within the Leucosphyrus group, which had been arduously collected during fieldwork between 1992 and 2020 across Southeast Asia.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Definition of arduously

Browse Nearby Words

clumpy
clumsily
clumsiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clumsily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsily. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All