Related Searches
Nearby Words
adjective
1.
not graceful; awkward; unwieldy; clumsy: an ungainly child; an ungainly prose style.
adverb
2.
in an awkward manner.
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
Ungainly
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Origin:
1150–1200; (adv.) Middle English ungeinliche, equivalent to un- un-1 + later Middle English geyn straight, well-disposed, handy (< Old Norse gegn straight, direct; compare Old Norse ūgegn unreasonable) + -liche -ly; (adj.) un-1 + obsolete gainly proper, becoming, gracious, Middle English gaynlych (geyn as above + -lych -ly); compare gainly, again
1150–1200; (adv.) Middle English ungeinliche, equivalent to un- un-1 + later Middle English geyn straight, well-disposed, handy (< Old Norse gegn straight, direct; compare Old Norse ūgegn unreasonable) + -liche -ly; (adj.) un-1 + obsolete gainly proper, becoming, gracious, Middle English gaynlych (geyn as above + -lych -ly); compare gainly, again
Related forms
un·gain·li·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To ungainly
Example Sentences
- But those aspects get lost in this turgid and ungainly film.
- As a runner, he was gaunt and ungainly and often successful.
- Instead, they do an ungainly belly flop, and then struggle to get to their feet and jump again.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ungainly
1611, originally "unfit, improper," from M.E. ungeinliche, from ungein (c.1400) "inconvenient" (from un- (1) "not" + O.N. gegn "convenient") + -like.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo Rating For Ungainly
Matching Quote
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
