maladroit

American  

[mal-uh-droit] / ˌmæl əˈdrɔɪt /

adjective

1. lacking in adroitness; unskillful; awkward; bungling; tactless.

   to handle a diplomatic crisis in a very maladroit way.

   Synonyms:

   gauche, inept, clumsy

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maladroit British  

/ ˌmæləˈdrɔɪt /

adjective

1. showing or characterized by clumsiness; not dexterous

2. tactless and insensitive in behaviour or speech

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Other Word Forms

• maladroitly adverb
• maladroitness noun

Etymology

Origin of maladroit

First recorded in 1665–75; from French, Middle French: literally “clumsy”; see origin at mal-, adroit

Explanation

If you are clumsy, you are maladroit. But the word can mean all kinds of clumsy. Trip over your words? You are verbally maladroit. Stumble in social situations? You're socially maladroit. When someone is adroit, they are graceful and nimble; they show a lot of dexterity. Maladroit is the opposite of that. It means clumsy, but with a hint of overall incompetence. If someone calls you maladroit, or says that you are a maladroit, they're not being the least bit nice. They mean that you've bungled something up with your fumbling.

Example Sentences

The original's famously maladroit "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," with its adversaries whose faces were painted white and black on opposite sides, is kindly remembered as well-intentioned and poorly executed.

From Salon • Jun. 23, 2023

It’s “Groundhog Day” in Denver with the Broncos’ maladroit offense unable to score and its stellar defense incapable of closing out opponents.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2022

The title characters have classic toon precedent — remember the maladroit elves in Tex Avery’s 1950 “The Peachy Cobbler,” or the gremlin in that Bugs Bunny cartoon?

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2022

A somewhat milder version of the many socially maladroit, chronically melancholic schlubs who have traipsed through Kaufman’s fiction, Jake is a fount of impressive, useless erudition.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2020

The first problem is Keegan’s maladroit use of negation.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker