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A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usual a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck and vigorous work. It is almost always a clumsy balance between the things you try to make happen and the things that happen to you.
Tom Freston

Meaning of "clumsy" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD CLUMSY

(In obsolete sense: benumbed with cold; hence, awkward): perhaps from C13 dialect clumse to benumb, probably from Scandinavian; compare Swedish dialect klumsig numb.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF CLUMSY

clumsy  [ˈklʌmzɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CLUMSY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Clumsy is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES CLUMSY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of clumsy in the English dictionary

The definition of clumsy in the dictionary is lacking in skill or physical coordination. Other definition of clumsy is awkwardly constructed or contrived.


WORDS THAT RHYME WITH CLUMSY


flimsy
ˈflɪmzɪ
gamesy
ˈɡeɪmzɪ
malmsey
ˈmɑːmzɪ
mimsy
ˈmɪmzɪ
mumsy
ˈmʌmzɪ
Ramsay
ˈræmzɪ
Ramsey
ˈræmzɪ
slimsy
ˈslɪmzɪ
whimsy
ˈwɪmzɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE CLUMSY

clumber
clumber spaniel
clump
clump-like
clumper
clumpiness
clumpish
clumpy
clumsier
clumsiest
clumsily
clumsiness
clunch
clung
Cluniac
clunk
clunker
clunkier
clunkiest
clunky

WORDS THAT END LIKE CLUMSY

busy
cheesy
classy
controversy
cosy
courtesy
daisy
easy
embassy
fantasy
glossy
Gypsy
Malagasy
messy
missy
noisy
pussy
sassy
sissy
sy

Synonyms and antonyms of clumsy in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «CLUMSY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «clumsy» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of clumsy

Translation of «clumsy» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF CLUMSY

Find out the translation of clumsy to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of clumsy from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «clumsy» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

笨拙的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

torpe
570 millions of speakers

English

clumsy
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अनाड़ी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أَخْرَق
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

неуклюжий
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

desajeitado
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কদাকার
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

gauche
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Kekok
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

ungeschickt
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

不器用な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

서투른
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Clumsy
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

vụng về
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

விகாரமான
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अस्ताव्यस्त
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

sakar
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

maldestro
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

niezgrabny
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

незграбний
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

neîndemânatic
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

άτσαλος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

onbeholpe
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

klumpig
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

klosset
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of clumsy

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «CLUMSY»

The term «clumsy» is quite widely used and occupies the 28.168 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
87
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «clumsy» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of clumsy
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «clumsy».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «CLUMSY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «clumsy» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «clumsy» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about clumsy

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «CLUMSY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word clumsy.
1
Ritchie Blackmore
If a ballet dancer falls over, it's knowing how to get out looking clumsy that counts.
2
Katrina Bowden
I was a dork. I'm still kind of goofy and clumsy and not always the most graceful person.
3
Delta Burke
I wish I could blame it on the choreography, but it's not a musical. I just had a clumsy moment.
4
Natalie Coughlin
When I was little, I wasn't so little. I had a big old round belly and I was really clumsy, but I was super confident.
5
Charles Darwin
What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature!
6
Edsger Dijkstra
The traditional mathematician recognizes and appreciates mathematical elegance when he sees it. I propose to go one step further, and to consider elegance an essential ingredient of mathematics: if it is clumsy, it is not mathematics.
7
Emma Donoghue
I am clumsy, a late and nervous driver, and despise all sports except a little gentle dancing or yoga.
8
Umberto Eco
A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion.
9
Tom Freston
A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usual a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck and vigorous work. It is almost always a clumsy balance between the things you try to make happen and the things that happen to you.
10
Karen Gillan
I suppose I am one of life's naturally clumsy people; I don't drop stuff all the time, or break things, but I'm just generally a bit flustered.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CLUMSY»

Discover the use of clumsy in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to clumsy and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Clumsy: A Novel
Clumsy is Jeffrey Brown's debut work Clumsy is the bittersweet story of a year long, long distance relationship, told through snippets of everyday life, drawn in a simple and elegantly awkward style that heightens the emotional impact and ...
Jeffrey Brown, 2002
2
The Clumsy Cow
She bumps into things, knocks things over, and even breaks things. The other animals on the farm keep out of her way, until one day her clumsiness helps them. This series covers a range of genres to support literary requirements of KS1.
Julia Moffatt, 2004
3
Clumsy Floodplains: Responsive Land Policy for Extreme Floods
Taking an innovative, interdisciplinary approach, this book proposes a new concept – Large Areas for Temporary Emergency Retention (LATER) – in 'Clumsy Floodplains', as an alternative to levee-based protection.
Dr Thomas Hartmann, 2012
4
Clumsy: A Novel
A collection of autobiographical comics that document the author's long-distance relationship with a woman named Theresa over the course of a year.
‎2002
5
Clumsy
Poetry. "Claire Bateman's speakers are experts in failure, and they often know how silly they look from a cautious pragmatic perspective.
Claire Bateman, 2003
6
How to Help a Clumsy Child: Strategies for Young Children ...
'The book is user-friendly and includes clear diagrams in each section, along with tables to outline key points.
Lisa A. Kurtz, 2003
7
A Clumsy Encounter: Dyspraxia and Drawing
This book aims to explore this complexity and disrupt approaches that might seek to rationalise and compartmentalise educational experience.
Claire Penketh, 2011
8
Stumbling Into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually ...
Part diary, part devotional, Stumbling Into Grace weaves hilarious and poignant stories from Lisa’s own life with intimate and transformational encounters from the life of Christ.
Lisa Harper, 2011
9
Clumsy Crab
Nipper the crab hates his huge, clumsy claws until his friend Octopus gets tangled up in some seaweed and only Nipper can free him.
‎2007
10
Clumsy Child Syndromes: Descriptions, Evaluation, and ...
Tackling the pervasive problem of motor awkwardness in children, this book illuminates contemporary developmental difficulties, including those caused by maternal drug use.
Bryant J. Cratty, 1994

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CLUMSY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term clumsy is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Do 3D movies make us clumsy?
3D can make movies more exciting, but some viewers report eye strain and visual fatigue, and a number of 3D-capable televisions warn ... «Science /AAAS, Jul 15»
2
6 Hiring Lessons from the NBA Lakers' Clumsy Recruiting Efforts
CEO, best-selling author, created Performance-based Hiring. Recent book: The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired. «Pulse, Jul 15»
3
A Detailed Look at Hacking Team's Emails About Its Repressive …
Daniele Milan, Hacking Team's operations chief, weighed in favor of closing the account, saying that INSA's “reckless and clumsy usage of our ... «The Intercept - First Look Media, Jul 15»
4
A Regulatory Upgrade for Electronic Trading
This too is a clumsy way for policy makers to develop an accurate picture of the liquidity in markets that are, in many cases, fast-moving. «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»
5
Man Booker International and Independent foreign fiction prizes …
... and such a novel is a great masterpiece in its original language and then trying to plough your way through a leaden, clumsy English version. «The Guardian, Jul 15»
6
10 Similarities Between Swimmers and Sharks #SharkWeek
Swimmers are notoriously clumsy on land and, in most cases, are better off sticking to water-based action. One simple look at Ryan Lochte's ... «SwimSwam, Jul 15»
7
Corker and Congress' Clumsy Meddling on Iran
The U.S. shouldn't rush to finish a nuclear deal with Iran simply to meet a deadline that would allow a shorter congressional review period, said ... «Bayoubuzz, Jul 15»
8
Vine: Kaka gets soft red card for essentially being too clumsy
Kaka was given his marching orders in rather unusual fashion during Orlando City's 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake at the weekend. The AC ... «SportsJOE, Jul 15»
9
Clumsy errors, missing starters lead to Reds downfall vs. Galaxy
It is impossible to beat the defending champs when you commit clumsy errors at the beginning of both halves. Missing four starters due to this ... «Toronto Sun, Jul 15»
10
Dance, dance and dance some more to the Clumsy Lovers at Alive …
The Clumsy Lovers have brought what they call their “mix of fiddle-and-banjo-fueled, bluegrassified Celtic rock” to North American audiences ... «Helena Independent Record, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Clumsy [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/clumsy>. May 2024 ».
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