as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
even my five-year-old laptop seems clunky next to some of the really slim new models
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clunky
Maybe some clunky intelligence operation?
—
Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
Companies won’t need whole teams to coordinate in clunky, unproductive meetings; one AI with a few humans will get the job done cheaper and faster.
—Solo Ceesay, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
Over the course of less than an hour, the capsule will shed its clunky service module and dive toward Earth at 24,000 miles per hour.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Nexcom has moved online, but its digital storefront can be clunky.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge,ryan Baker, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
Companies won’t need whole teams to coordinate in clunky, unproductive meetings; one AI with a few humans will get the job done cheaper and faster.
—Solo Ceesay, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
Over the course of less than an hour, the capsule will shed its clunky service module and dive toward Earth at 24,000 miles per hour.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Nexcom has moved online, but its digital storefront can be clunky.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge,ryan Baker, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
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Perugino’s compositions tend to be clumsy in their parallels—two people on the left, two people on the right—and the skin typically looks like candle wax.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The collapse of the talks wasn’t the fault of bad faith or clumsy diplomacy.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Cavaliere made headlines earlier this year by banning Chappell Roan from ever performing at the concert after the singer had an awkward encounter with the stepdaughter of Brazilian soccer player Jorginho.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is one of Washington’s enduring, if somewhat awkward, rituals.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the point stands that the means to make a movie—once cumbersome and expensive—now fits in the palm of your hand.—
Dennis Lim,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Unfortunately, clear aquarium-style cages can be heavy and cumbersome to move.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The poor equipment manager was struggling with the unwieldy block.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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The high court did not opine on the process of refunds, and government officials at first suggested the process could prove unwieldy.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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