ungainly
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
-
lacking grace when moving
-
difficult to move or use; unwieldy
-
rare crude or coarse
adverb
Other Word Forms
- ungainliness noun
Etymology
Origin of ungainly
1150–1200; (adv.) Middle English ungeinliche, equivalent to un- un- 1 + later Middle English geyn straight, well-disposed, handy (< Old Norse gegn straight, direct; compare Old Norse ūgegn unreasonable) + -liche -ly; (adj.) un- 1 + obsolete gainly proper, becoming, gracious, Middle English gaynlych ( geyn as above + -lych -ly ); gainly, again
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team recently published a paper on the results of studies using an earlier, more ungainly version of their wireless sensor.
If their first step toward the Super Bowl is going to be this ungainly, how much longer can they stay upright?
From Los Angeles Times
For generations, Americans have marked Thanksgiving by wrestling with the perfect way to prepare and serve turkey, a bird known for its ungainly size, dry texture and lack of distinguishing flavor.
A handful of rare and cranky antiques are powering the ungainly Hollywood resurgence of VistaVision.
Everyone agrees it looks ungainly, but it's the least worst solution in the circumstances.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
