as in inexperience
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Recent Examples of clumsiness
For Perssonatti, the disease is more about fatigue, brain fog, word salad, and clumsiness.
—
Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
The desire for more speed also demonstrated some of the internal clumsiness Weiss and her close inner circle have lamented on the technical side.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026
This wouldn't come from a place of hostility, but due to his clumsiness and trailing tail.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
O’Hara sinks into the role, embracing the inherent clumsiness of community theater while celebrating its flaws.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
On immigration enforcement—Trump’s signature issue—the brutality and clumsiness of the mass-deportation campaign has decreased public support for the president’s agenda and increased the number of Americans who strongly disapprove of ICE.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
Complete with easy, unstructured choreography, Fiyero’s loose movement mirrors the Scarecrow's clumsiness.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
The clumsiness feels important in other ways, too.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2025
Police in Oklahoma witnessed the clumsiness of nature when a wildlife rescue turned from pure-hearted Disney moment into Discovery channel outtake, video shows.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
The desire for more speed also demonstrated some of the internal clumsiness Weiss and her close inner circle have lamented on the technical side.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026
This wouldn't come from a place of hostility, but due to his clumsiness and trailing tail.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
O’Hara sinks into the role, embracing the inherent clumsiness of community theater while celebrating its flaws.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
On immigration enforcement—Trump’s signature issue—the brutality and clumsiness of the mass-deportation campaign has decreased public support for the president’s agenda and increased the number of Americans who strongly disapprove of ICE.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
Complete with easy, unstructured choreography, Fiyero’s loose movement mirrors the Scarecrow's clumsiness.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
The clumsiness feels important in other ways, too.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2025
Police in Oklahoma witnessed the clumsiness of nature when a wildlife rescue turned from pure-hearted Disney moment into Discovery channel outtake, video shows.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clumsiness
Noun
-
Nearly every player and coach has identified the rookie as one of the biggest surprises so far with how quickly she’s adjusted to her role as the team’s floor general despite her inexperience.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2026
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Crusoe’s inexperience is a relatively minor risk compared to the much larger one Oracle is taking on OpenAI, which is by far the biggest customer represented in Oracle’s remaining performance obligations (RPOs), which represent how much money Oracle is slated to earn from its existing contracts.—
Elizabeth Lopatto,
The Verge,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These surrenders might occur because of unpreparedness or life changes.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Sensing hesitance as well as incompetence, coaches and players alike tried to sway the flailing fill-ins at every turn.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Instead, the Wolves allowed a period of incompetence to define the affair, a trait that defined numerous games throughout the regular season.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This journalistic cynicism amid government ham-handedness shattered something precious too.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Only when Bouzid deals with the repercussions of homophobic Tunisian laws does the melodrama tip into ham-handedness.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The reproduction of systemic racism occurs not simply through white denial but also through the promotion of cultural incompetency.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The District Attorney’s Office said a finding of incompetency does not dismiss the case or result in a defendant’s release, and that proceedings will resume if Mock is later deemed competent.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Even when Florida’s lead was insurmountable, Golden was conscious of when to play Rioux because of his inability to keep up with the pace of the game and maintain endurance.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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The questions go to the heart of the frustration expressed by business leaders such as Sim Tshabalala, Standard Bank’s boss, who warned just this month at Semafor World Economy that South Africa’s anemic economic growth was down to the state’s basic inability to uphold the rule of law.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clumsiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clumsiness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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