Clumsily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In an awkward or uncoordinated manner, lacking grace or skill in movement or action
2. In a manner characterized by a lack of coordination or grace, resulting in awkward behavior or unskillful actions
3. Displaying an absence of finesse or smoothness, leading to bumbling or awkward execution of tasks

Etymology: "Clumsily" is a plain formation: the adjective "clumsy" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb meaning "in a clumsy manner." The adjective "clumsy" appears in English from the 1500s and is usually traced to a Scandinavian source, related to the Middle English verb "clumsen," meaning to be numb or benumbed with cold. That sense of stiffness hints at how the idea of ungainliness took hold. The suffix does the grammatical work. It descends from an old Germanic element "-līk," meaning "body" or "form" in the sense of "like," which gave Old English "-līc" and later the Middle English ending "-ly." Over centuries the suffix spread from adjectives into adverbs, so "clumsily" carries the same old resemblance-marking ending found in "quickly" or "boldly."

Synonyms: awkwardly, ungainly, gawkily, bumblingly

Antonyms: gracefully, skillfully, dexterously