as in clumsy
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
the stiff, gawky gait of a newborn colt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gawky
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
One such person is Jason Segel, a gawky and affable character actor who Apatow correctly identified as a rom-com leading man.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
Even the most lighthearted TikToks reflected a disgust in men who appear awkward, gawky, or fragile.
—Kitty Ruskin, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024
Actors are hired to play gawky scientists during interviews.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for gawky 
Adjective
In the latter, there’s Anthony’s gawky and innately likable Dylan, Kezii Curtis as the laugh-out-loud hilarious Spud, and Chiara Aurelia’s fearless Jordy.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
One such person is Jason Segel, a gawky and affable character actor who Apatow correctly identified as a rom-com leading man.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
Even the most lighthearted TikToks reflected a disgust in men who appear awkward, gawky, or fragile.
—Kitty Ruskin, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024
Actors are hired to play gawky scientists during interviews.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for gawky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawky
Adjective
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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
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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
Noun
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And when someone does cross the line, like the louts who doused cops in Harlem and Brownsville with water in 2019, most officers have shown remarkable restraint.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2024
-
That’s the memorable insult that James Kennedy (the DJ of the group) hurled at Tom Sandoval (the resident lout) last season after Sandoval — who had a girlfriend — became romantically involved with Kennedy’s ex-girlfriend.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2024
Adjective
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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
Noun
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Either Sandler could make great work but cynically chooses not to in order to make more money, or Sandler is a talentless oaf who somehow was able to achieve something actually good with the help of a visionary director.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2024
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As women have enjoyed more economic opportunities, they’re less often forced to marry some oaf who gets violent after a few drinks — and, anyway, what self-respecting woman with independent means would want to marry, say, a fan of Andrew Tate?—
Nicholas Kristof,
The Mercury News,
2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
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But then, only an actor who doesn’t quite fit in could have brought László to life with his ungainly, spirited passion, vanity and self-belief intact.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2025
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The apparent impact is on video, with the ungainly trims placed on the picture demanded by a wide corner a thing of the past on the S25 Utlra.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Beecher just cannot finish - nor Zacha, nor Wahlstrom ..... 63 played like the tired uncoordinated Marchy of the first 20 games, not the Aderall Marchy of his 6 game scoring streak.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
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Ultimately, however, the future of the greenback as an international currency will largely be determined by the collective choices of uncoordinated private actors, most of whom will be impossible to identify.—
Jonathan Kirshner,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Shaun's attempts to find the tyke at the fair inspire lots of Aardman's typically hilarious sight gags, all performed without dialogue.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 Dec. 2024
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And with nearly 7,500 square feet of living space, tiny tykes are afforded lots of breathing room to enjoy.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
12 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Here, the blurring is visual: Sometimes Leonard floats into the past looking like Gere, who wears the character without a shred of self-protection as the lens gawks at his raw skin.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Dec. 2024
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The Esprit's shape, arguably more avant-garde despite its age, consistently pegs the gawk meter.—
John Phillips,
Car and Driver,
18 June 2020
Thesaurus Entries Near gawky
Cite this Entry
“Gawky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawky. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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