From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Possibly from an alteration of clumsed ( “ benumbed ” ) or from clumse ( “ a stupid fellow; lout ” ) + -y clumse
clumsy (comparative clumsier superlative clumsiest
Awkward , lacking coordination , not graceful , not dextrous .
He's very clumsy . I wouldn't trust him with carrying the dishes.
Not elegant or well-planned, lacking tact or subtlety.
It is a clumsy solution, but it might work for now.
What a clumsy joke
1600 or 1601 i.e. , John Marston ], “The Prologue”, in Antonios Reuenge. The Second Part. [ … ] [ … ] [ Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, and are to be soulde [ by Matthew Lownes] [ … ] 1602 , →OCLC signature A2, recto :The ravviſh danke of clumzie vvinter ramps / The fluent ſummers vaine: and drizling ſleete / Chilleth the vvan bleak cheek of the numd earth, / VVhilſt ſnarling guſts nibble the iuyceles leaues, / From the nak't ſhuddring branch; [ …]
Awkward or inefficient in use or construction, difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape. awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous
Arabic: أَخْرَق ( ʔaḵraq )
Egyptian Arabic: متكعبل m ( mitkaʕbil ) , أهوج m ( ahwag ) , أرعن m ( arʕan )
Armenian: անփույթ (hy) ( anpʻuytʻ )
Azerbaijani: hozəki
Belarusian: нязгра́бны ( njazhrábny )
Bulgarian: тромав (bg) ( tromav ) , несръчен (bg) ( nesrǎčen )
Catalan: maldestre (ca) , barroer (ca) , sapastre
Cebuano: gukam kumaw
Chinese:
Mandarin: 粗笨 (zh) ( cūbèn ) , 笨 (zh) ( bèn )
Czech: nemotorný neohrabaný
Dutch: onhandig (nl) , stuntelig (nl)
Esperanto: mallerta
Estonian: kohmakas (et)
Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
French: empoté (fr) , gauche (fr) , lourd (fr) , maladroit (fr)
Galician: torpe (gl) m or f zoupón zoupeiro (gl)
German: tollpatschig (de) , ungeschickt (de) , unbeholfen (de) , schwerfällig (de) , plump (de) , klobig (de)
Greek: αδέξιος (el) ( adéxios )
Ancient Greek: ἀδέξιος ( adéxios )
Hindi: बेढंगा ( beḍhaṅgā ) , बेसलीक़ा ( beslīqā ) , फूहड़ (hi) ( phūhaṛ )
Hungarian: balkezes (hu) , esetlen (hu) , ügyetlen (hu)
Icelandic: klaufalegur (is)
Ido: plumpa (io)
Irish: ciotach tútach liobarnach amscaí
Italian: goffo (it) , impacciato (it) , maldestro (it)
Japanese: 不器用な (ja) ( ぶきような, bukiyō na ) , ぶきっちょ ( bukitcho )
Kapampangan: buraldal
Korean: 서투르다 (ko) ( seotureuda )
Latin: inconcinnus
Macedonian: несмасен ( nesmasen ) , трапав ( trapav ) , тромав ( tromav ) , смотан ( smotan )
Maori: pakihawa ninipa pekengohe tahangoi
Norman: maladrait
Norwegian:
Bokmål: klønete (no) , klønet klossete klosset trehendt
Nynorsk: klønete klossete
Persian: چلفتی (fa) ( čolofti )
Plautdietsch: onjeschekjt
Polish: niezdarny (pl) m niezgrabny (pl)
Portuguese: desajeitado (pt) , atrapalhado (pt) , desastrado (pt) , despassarado m ( Portugal )
Romanian: stângaci (ro) , neîndemânatic (ro) , greoi (ro)
Romansch: maladester
Russian: неуклю́жий (ru) ( neukljúžij ) , нело́вкий (ru) ( nelóvkij ) , неповоро́тливый (ru) ( nepovorótlivyj )
Scottish Gaelic: cearbach liobasta
Serbo-Croatian: šlampav (sh) , trapav (sh)
Slovene: neroden (sl)
Spanish: patoso torpe (es) , desmañado (es) , bruto (es) , taba (es) m or f ( Peru )
Swedish: klumpig (sv) , klantig (sv) , drumlig
Tagalog: asiwa
Thai: ซุ่มซ่าม (th) ( sûm-sâam ) , เงอะงะ (th) ( ngə́-ngá )
Turkish: sakar (tr)
Ukrainian: незгра́бний ( nezhrábnyj )
Vietnamese: vụng về (vi)
Yiddish: לעפּיש ( lepish )
not elegant or well-planned
Armenian: անշնորհք (hy) ( anšnorhkʻ )
Czech: nevhodný (cs)
Dutch: onhandig (nl)
Estonian: rohmakas
Finnish: kömpelö (fi)
German: tollpatschig (de) , ungeschickt (de) , plump (de) , klobig (de)
Hindi: भद्दा (hi) ( bhaddā ) , बेढंगा ( beḍhaṅgā ) , बेडौल (hi) ( beḍaul )
Hungarian: ügyetlen (hu) , otromba (hu) , szakszerűtlen (hu)
Irish: tútach ciotach amscaí
Italian: malfatto (it) , rozzo (it) , sgraziato (it)
Latin: inelegans m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: klønete (no) , klønete (no) , klossete klosset
Nynorsk: klønete klossete
Persian: قناس (fa) ( qenâs )
Portuguese: desgracioso (pt)
Romanian: grosolan (ro)
Russian: гру́бый (ru) ( grúbyj ) , некраси́вый (ru) ( nekrasívyj )
Scottish Gaelic: mì-innealta
Serbo-Croatian: glomazan (sh) , nezgrapan (sh) , trapav (sh)
Spanish: torpe (es)
Swedish: osmidig (sv)
awkward or inefficient in use or construction
Czech: nešikovný (cs)
German: unbeholfen (de) , unhandlich klobig (de) , sperrig (de) , plump (de)
Hindi: भद्दा (hi) ( bhaddā ) , बेढंगा ( beḍhaṅgā ) , हबड़ा (hi) ( habṛā ) , बेडौल (hi) ( beḍaul )
Italian: grossolano (it)
Latin: inhabilis
Polish: niezgrabny (pl) m
Romanian: grosolan (ro) , butucănos (ro)
Russian: неудо́бный (ru) ( neudóbnyj )
Serbo-Croatian: nezgrapan (sh) , glomazan (sh)
Spanish: torpe (es)
Swedish: otymplig (sv) , klumpig (sv) , svårhanterlig (sv)
Translations to be checked
clumsy (plural clumsies
( informal , fairly rare ) clumsy person.
1934 P[amela] L[yndon] Travers , “Bad Tuesday”, in Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins ; 1), London: Gerald Howe Ltd [ … ] →OCLC page 82 :On the stairs he met Ellen, the housemaid, and as he passed her he knocked the hot-water jug out of her hand. “Well, you are a clumsy ,” said Ellen, as she bent down to mop up the water.
Translations to be checked
