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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clunky Its presentation and interface are simple and readable for what matters, but its navigation is occasionally clunky and obfuscated. Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025 On paper, Miller is a soon-to-be 32-year-old who brings another clunky contract to New York. Corey Pronman, The Athletic, 1 Feb. 2025 This is a good thing, as clunky shifts were one of our complaints when reviewing the Slingshot in previous model years. Aaron Turpen, New Atlas, 1 Feb. 2025 Unlike clunky water-repellent boots, Skechers’ style is sleek and lightweight, according to numerous shoppers. Ali Faccenda, Travel + Leisure, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for clunky 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunky
Adjective
  • Game to game, characters like the speedy Pete Wheeler or clumsy Angela Delvecchio were true to their traits across each release.
    Jake Lang, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Relentless, hi-def gore is The Monkey’s greatest achievement, but all the blood-spatter in the world couldn’t redeem its clumsy plotting, frat-boy humor, and feigned memento mori.
    Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Comfortable familiarity and an awkward desire to escape co-exist like the two quotes at the start, both true in incongruous harmony.
    David Opie, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Where some toiletry bags end up having an awkward shape that won’t easily fit into your luggage, these are the opposite.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • For starters, Hamas’s military leaders were hiding in Gaza, making communications with them cumbersome.
    Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
  • However, working with document files was a bit more cumbersome in testing.
    Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • One thing German writer-director Tom Tykwer has never lacked is ambition, evidenced by his willingness to tackle sprawling, thematically unwieldy literary source material like Cloud Atlas and A Hologram for the King.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
  • In modern cars that handle increasingly complex tasks, those domains have led to redundant connections from power sources to electronic control units (ECUs), and an unwieldy octopus of wiring that stretches to all four corners of the vehicle.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near clunky

Cite this Entry

“Clunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunky. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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