English [ edit ]
Etymology [ edit ]
Possibly from an alteration of clumsed ( “ benumbed ” ) or from clumse ( “ a stupid fellow; lout ” ) + -y . More at clumse .
Pronunciation [ edit ]
Adjective [ edit ]
clumsy (comparative clumsier , superlative clumsiest )
Awkward , lacking coordination , not graceful , not dextrous .
He's very clumsy . I wouldn't trust him with carrying the dishes.
Not elegant or well-planned, lacking tact or subtlety.
It is a clumsy solution, but it might work for now.
What a clumsy joke
Awkward or inefficient in use or construction, difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape.
Derived terms [ edit ]
Translations [ edit ]
awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous
Arabic: أَخْرَق ( ʔaḵraq )
Egyptian Arabic: متكعبل m ( mitkaʕbil ) , أهوج m ( ahwag ) , أرعن m ( arʕan )
Armenian: անփույթ (hy) ( anpʻuytʻ )
Azerbaijani: hozəki
Belarusian: нязгра́бны ( njazhrábny )
Bulgarian: тромав (bg) ( tromav ) , несръчен (bg) ( nesrǎčen )
Catalan: maldestre (ca) , barroer (ca) , sapastre
Cebuano: gukam , kumaw
Chinese:
Mandarin: 粗笨 (zh) ( cūbèn ) , 笨 (zh) ( bèn )
Czech: nemotorný , neohrabaný
Dutch: onhandig (nl) , stuntelig (nl)
Esperanto: mallerta
Estonian: kohmakas (et)
Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
French: empoté (fr) , gauche (fr) , lourd (fr) , maladroit (fr)
Galician: torpe (gl) m or f , zoupón , zoupeiro (gl)
German: tollpatschig (de) , ungeschickt (de) , unbeholfen (de) , schwerfällig (de) , plump (de) , klobig (de)
Greek: αδέξιος (el) ( adéxios )
Ancient Greek: ἀδέξιος ( adéxios )
Hindi: बेढंगा ( beḍhaṅgā ) , बेसलीक़ा ( beslīqā ) , फूहड़ (hi) ( phūhaṛ )
Hungarian: balkezes (hu) , esetlen (hu) , ügyetlen (hu)
Icelandic: klaufalegur (is)
Ido: plumpa (io)
Irish: ciotach , tútach , liobarnach , amscaí
Italian: goffo (it) , impacciato (it) , maldestro (it)
Japanese: 不器用な (ja) ( ぶきような, bukiyō na ) , ぶきっちょ ( bukitcho )
Kapampangan: buraldal
Korean: 서투르다 (ko) ( seotureuda )
Latin: inconcinnus
Macedonian: несмасен ( nesmasen ) , трапав ( trapav ) , тромав ( tromav ) , смотан ( smotan )
Maori: pakihawa , ninipa , pekengohe , tahangoi
Norman: maladrait
Norwegian:
Bokmål: klønete (no) , klønet , klossete , klosset , trehendt
Nynorsk: klønete , klossete
Persian: چلفتی (fa) ( čolofti )
Plautdietsch: onjeschekjt
Polish: niezdarny (pl) m , niezgrabny (pl)
Portuguese: desajeitado (pt) , atrapalhado (pt) , desastrado (pt) , despassarado m ( Portugal )
Romanian: stângaci (ro) , neîndemânatic (ro) , greoi (ro)
Romansch: maladester
Russian: неуклю́жий (ru) ( neukljúžij ) , нело́вкий (ru) ( nelóvkij ) , неповоро́тливый (ru) ( nepovorótlivyj )
Scottish Gaelic: cearbach , liobasta
Serbo-Croatian: šlampav (sh) , trapav (sh)
Slovene: neroden (sl)
Spanish: patoso , torpe (es) , desmañado (es) , bruto (es)
Swedish: klumpig (sv) , klantig (sv) , drumlig
Tagalog: asiwa
Thai: ซุ่มซ่าม (th) ( sûm-sâam ) , เงอะงะ (th) ( ngə́-ngá )
Turkish: sakar (tr)
Ukrainian: незгра́бний ( nezhrábnyj )
Vietnamese: vụng về (vi)
Yiddish: לעפּיש ( lepish )
not elegant or well-planned
Armenian: անշնորհք (hy) ( anšnorhkʻ )
Czech: nevhodný (cs)
Dutch: onhandig (nl)
Estonian: rohmakas
Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
German: tollpatschig (de) , ungeschickt (de) , plump (de) , klobig (de)
Hindi: भद्दा (hi) ( bhaddā ) , बेढंगा ( beḍhaṅgā ) , बेडौल (hi) ( beḍaul )
Hungarian: ügyetlen (hu) , otromba (hu) , szakszerűtlen (hu)
Irish: tútach , ciotach , amscaí
Italian: malfatto (it) , rozzo (it) , sgraziato (it)
Latin: inelegans m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: klønete (no) , klønete (no) , klossete , klosset
Nynorsk: klønete , klossete
Persian: قناس (fa) ( qenâs )
Portuguese: desgracioso (pt)
Romanian: grosolan (ro)
Russian: гру́бый (ru) ( grúbyj ) , некраси́вый (ru) ( nekrasívyj )
Scottish Gaelic: mì-innealta
Serbo-Croatian: glomazan (sh) , nezgrapan (sh) , trapav (sh)
Spanish: torpe (es)
Swedish: osmidig (sv)
awkward or inefficient in use or construction
Czech: nešikovný (cs)
German: unbeholfen (de) , unhandlich , klobig (de) , sperrig (de) , plump (de)
Hindi: भद्दा (hi) ( bhaddā ) , बेढंगा ( beḍhaṅgā ) , हबड़ा (hi) ( habṛā ) , बेडौल (hi) ( beḍaul )
Italian: grossolano (it)
Latin: inhabilis
Polish: niezgrabny (pl) m
Romanian: grosolan (ro) , butucănos (ro)
Russian: неудо́бный (ru) ( neudóbnyj )
Serbo-Croatian: nezgrapan (sh) , glomazan (sh)
Spanish: torpe (es)
Swedish: otymplig (sv) , klumpig (sv) , svårhanterlig (sv)
Translations to be checked
clumsy (plural clumsies )
( informal , fairly rare ) A clumsy person.
1934 , P. L. Travers, Mary Poppins :“Well, you are a clumsy ,” said Ellen, as she bent down to mop up the water. “That was for your father’s shaving.”
Synonyms [ edit ]
Translations [ edit ]
Translations to be checked
See also [ edit ]
Anagrams [ edit ]