Ungainly — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

lacking grace in movement or posture

difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ʌŋɡˈeɪnli/

🇬🇧British English

/ʌŋɡˈeɪnli/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ʌŋɡˈeɪnli/

3 syllables Say it as /ʌŋɡˈeɪnli/.

Examples

a gawky lad with long ungainly legs
clumsy fingers
what an ungainly creature a giraffe is

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

unwieldy gawky clumsy awkward clunky bunglesome

Parts of Speech

adjective	lacking grace in movement or posture “a gawky lad with long ungainly legs”
adjective	difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape “an awkward bundle to carry”

Word Forms

gawk	noun	an awkward stupid person
gawkiness	noun	the carriage of someone whose movements and posture are extremely ungainly and inelegant
clumsiness	noun	the carriage of someone whose movements and posture are ungainly or inelegant
ungainliness	noun	the carriage of someone whose movements and posture are extremely ungainly and inelegant
awkwardness	noun	trouble in carrying or managing caused by bulk or shape

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

unbeholfen

mangelnde Anmut in Bewegung oder Haltung

🇫🇷French

disgracieux

manque de grâce dans le mouvement ou la posture

🇪🇸Spanish

desgarbado

falta de gracia en el movimiento o la postura

🇮🇹Italian

sgraziato

privo di grazia nel movimento o nella postura

🇳🇱Dutch

onhandig

zonder gratie in beweging of houding

🇵🇹Portuguese

desajeitado

falta de graça no movimento ou postura

🇷🇺Russian

неуклюжий

не хватает грации в движениях или позе

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कुरूप

चाल या मुद्रा में अनुग्रह की कमी

🇧🇩Bengali

খারাপভাবে

নড়াচড়া বা ভঙ্গিতে অনুগ্রহের অভাব

🇮🇳Tamil

அசிங்கமான

அசைவு அல்லது தோரணையில் கருணை இல்லாதது

🇮🇳Telugu

వికారమైన

కదలిక లేదా భంగిమలో దయ లేకపోవడం

🇮🇳Marathi

कुरूपपणे

हालचाल किंवा मुद्रा मध्ये कृपेचा अभाव

🇮🇳Gujarati

ખરાબ રીતે

ચળવળ અથવા મુદ્રામાં ગ્રેસનો અભાવ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಸಹ್ಯವಾಗಿ

ಚಲನೆ ಅಥವಾ ಭಂಗಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅನುಗ್ರಹದ ಕೊರತೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വൃത്തികെട്ടത്

ചലനത്തിലോ ഭാവത്തിലോ കൃപയില്ല

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬਦਸਲੂਕੀ

ਅੰਦੋਲਨ ਜਾਂ ਮੁਦਰਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਦੀ ਘਾਟ

🇵🇰Urdu

بدتمیزی سے

حرکت یا کرنسی میں فضل کی کمی

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

笨拙地

动作或姿势缺乏优雅

🇯🇵Japanese

不格好に

動きや姿勢に優雅さが欠けている

🇰🇷Korean

보기 흉하게

움직임이나 자세에 우아함이 부족함

🇻🇳Vietnamese

vô duyên

thiếu duyên dáng trong chuyển động hoặc tư thế

🇹🇭Thai

อย่างไม่สุภาพ

ขาดความสง่างามในการเคลื่อนไหวหรือท่าทาง

🇮🇩Indonesian

canggung

kurang anggun dalam gerakan atau postur

🇵🇭Filipino

masungit

kulang sa biyaya sa paggalaw o postura

🇲🇾Malay

tidak senonoh

kurang keanggunan dalam pergerakan atau postur

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

صعب المراس

تفتقر إلى النعمة في الحركة أو الموقف

🇮🇷Persian

ناخوشایند

عدم ظرافت در حرکت یا وضعیت بدن

🇹🇷Turkish

hantal

hareket veya duruşta zarafet eksikliği

🇮🇱Hebrew

מְגוּשָׁם

חסר חן בתנועה או ביציבה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'ungainly'?

The primary meaning of 'ungainly' is 'lacking grace in movement or posture'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'ungainly' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'ungainly' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'ungainly' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'ungainly' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

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