ungainly

Ungainly is an English adjective describing something that lacks ease or grace in movement, appearance, or form. It connotes clumsiness, heaviness, or awkwardness and often implies that smoother, more coordinated action or design would be preferable.

Etymology: the term is formed from the prefix un- attached to gainly, a historical word meaning graceful, proper, or fitting. The combination yields not graceful, awkward, or unwieldy, and has been used in English for several centuries to describe awkwardness of manner or form.

Usage: in reference to people, an ungainly gait or a clumsy manner may be described as ungainly. in reference to objects, a machine, structure, or vehicle can have an ungainly shape or operation. in language or behavior, phrasing or actions may be described as ungainly. examples include: she moved with an ungainly gait; the sculpture has an ungainly silhouette; his apology came out in an ungainly way.

Nuances and related terms: ungainly emphasizes awkwardness or lack of grace, often due to size, shape, or poor coordination. synonyms include awkward, clumsy, gawky, unwieldy; antonyms include graceful, elegant, agile. The noun form is ungainliness, referring to the quality of lacking ease or grace.

See also: graceless, inelegant, awkward, clumsy.