Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Lacking grace or ease of movement or form; clumsy.
  • adjective Difficult to move or use; unwieldy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Unfit; vain.
  • Awkward; clumsy; uncouth: as, an ungainly carriage.
  • Synonyms Uncouth, Bungling, etc. See awkward and clumsy.
  • In an awkward manner; clumsily; uncouthly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In an ungainly manner.
  • adjective Not gainly; not expert or dexterous; clumsy; awkward; uncouth.
  • adjective obsolete Unsuitable; unprofitable.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective clumsy; lacking grace.
  • adjective difficult to move or to manage; unwieldy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape
  • adjective lacking grace in movement or posture

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[un– + obsolete gainly, proper (from Middle English gainli, from gain, from Old Norse gegn, direct).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From un- + Old Norse gegn ("fit, honest") + -ly.

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Examples

  • We must keep our girls from contact with all that is coarse and debasing; must teach them to behave properly at home and abroad; and not to sit and lounge about or stand in ungainly attitudes; and read books which serve only to inflame the passions, and not to improve either mind or manners.

    A Manual of Etiquette with Hints on Politeness and Good Breeding Sophia Orne 1873

  • Jacqueline, but we had always called her Jack, for brevity, and because, with her cropped head and rough ways, she resembled a boy more than a girl; her hair was growing now, and hung about her neck in short ungainly lengths, but I doubt whether in its present stage it was any improvement.

    Esther : a book for girls Rosa Nouchette Carey 1874

  • On an analysis based on, you know, around airports, where could a man with a pipe-like device, which is kind of ungainly and big and long and has a signature, where could that person just stand upright or even be in a kind of concealed position and let one of these missiles go?

    CNN Transcript Jun 1, 2002 2002

  • Consumer Reports said the Tahoe's handling was "ungainly" and its stopping distances too long.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2011

  • Consumer Reports said the Tahoe's handling was "ungainly" and its stopping distances too long.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • Consumer Reports said the Tahoe's handling was "ungainly" and its stopping distances too long.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2011

  • Simone: Dania "doesn't love" it; Nigel calls it "ungainly" and lacking sensuality; Tyra thinks she could be stronger

    All - Digital Spy - Entertainment and Media News 2010

  • Simone: Dania "doesn't love" it; Nigel calls it "ungainly" and lacking sensuality; Tyra thinks she could be stronger

    All - Digital Spy - Entertainment and Media News 2010

  • Cowell called her performance "ungainly" and "gimmicky" and he hated her outfit.

    TV Envy 2009

  • The thing that is ungainly, vulnerable, embarrassing.

    I Am Sorry to Inform You 2010

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