ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsUungainly
ISEE/SSAThard
ungainly
Meaning: awkward, clumsy, or lacking grace in movement
ungainly in a sentence
How ungainly is used in real sentences:
The ungainly colt stumbled across the muddy field.
His ungainly stride made the narrow staircase difficult to climb.
“Wearing crampons, Mara made an ungainly crossing over loose stones, windmilling her arms while protecting the delicate measuring gauge.”
— from the passage The Moraine Calendar
Synonyms for ungainly
Other words for ungainly — awkward, clumsy and lumbering — carry the same meaning.
- awkward
- clumsy
- lumbering
Antonyms of ungainly
Words that mean the opposite of ungainly:
Where it comes from
From un- and obsolete gainly, meaning 'graceful or useful.'
Memory hook
UN-GAIN-LY: unable to gain balance, the clumsy figure moves awkwardly.