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ungainly

adjective un·gain·ly \-ˈgān-lē\

: moving in an awkward or clumsy way : not graceful

Full Definition of UNGAINLY

a : lacking in smoothness or dexterity : clumsy <ungainly movements>

b : hard to handle : unwieldy <an ungainly contraption>

: having an awkward appearance <a large ungainly bird>

— un·gain·li·ness noun

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See ungainly defined for kids

Origin of UNGAINLY

obsolete gain direct, from Middle English gayn, geyn, from Old English gēn, from Old Norse gegn, from gegn, preposition, against; akin to Old English gēan- against — more at again

First Known Use: 1611

Related to UNGAINLY

Synonyms: awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, clunky, cranky, cumbrous, ponderous, cumbersome, unhandy, unwieldy

Antonyms: handy

Rhymes with UNGAINLY

germanely, humanely, inanely, insanely, mundanely, profanely, urbanely

UNGAINLY Defined for Kids

ungainly

adjective un·gain·ly \ˌən-ˈgān-lē\

un·gain·li·erun·gain·li·est

Definition of UNGAINLY for Kids

: clumsy 1, awkward <an ungainly walk>

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "ungainly"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "ungainly"

Nglish: Translation of "ungainly" for Spanish speakers

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