Clumsy \Clum"sy\, a. [Compar. Clumsier; superl. Clumsiest.]
[OE. clumsed benumbed, fr. clumsen to be benumbed; cf. Icel.
klumsa lockjaw, dial. Sw. klummsen benumbed with cold. Cf.
1st Clam, and 1st Clamp.]
1. Stiff or benumbed, as with cold. [Obs.]
2. Without skill or grace; wanting dexterity, nimbleness, or
readiness; stiff; awkward, as if benumbed; unwieldy;
unhandy; hence; ill-made, misshapen, or inappropriate; as,
a clumsy person; a clumsy workman; clumsy fingers; a
clumsy gesture; a clumsy excuse.
But thou in clumsy verse, unlicked, unpointed, Hast
shamefully defied the Lord's anointed. --Dryden.
Syn: See Awkward.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) |