ungainly

[ uhn-geyn-lee ]

adjective

, un·gain·li·er, un·gain·li·est.

1. not graceful; awkward; unwieldy; clumsy:

   an ungainly child; an ungainly prose style.

adverb

1. in an awkward manner.

ungainly

/ ʌnˈɡeɪnlɪ /

adjective

1. lacking grace when moving
2. difficult to move or use; unwieldy
3. rare.
   crude or coarse

adverb

1. rare.
   clumsily

Derived Forms

• unˈgainliness, noun

Other Words From

• un·gainli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ungainly¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ungainly¹

C17: from un- ¹+ obsolete or dialect gainly graceful

Example Sentences

The cast of Renaissance characters is also large and somewhat ungainly, populated with outsize historical players that include Michelangelo, Savonarola, Raphael, Niccolò Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia, various popes, assorted Medicis and many more.

From Los Angeles Times

Those action-packed story arcs are awkwardly condensed, and the pacing is almost always ungainly.

From New York Times

Stone’s fun, ferocious, go-for-broke turn as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things,” where she moves from ungainly adult toddler to feminist philosopher, is the kind of performance that seems undeniable when you see it.

From Los Angeles Times

Stone takes her character from ungainly adult toddler to feminist philosopher, dazzling us at every point and proving, once again, that she’s arguably the best actress of her generation.

From Los Angeles Times

The outcome of the vote on Monday was hard to predict because it required an ungainly alliance of opposition parties to approve the motion on diametrically opposite grounds.

From New York Times

Related Words

• awkward
• bulky
• clumsy
• unwieldy