Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

ungainly

/ʌnˈɡeɪnli/ adjective

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ungainly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Lacking grace in movement or posture.
a gawky lad with long ungainly legs
Difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape.
an awkward bundle to carry

Origin

From un- (“not”) + gainly (“graceful; becoming; proper, suitable; gracious, kindly”) (from gain (“dexterous; convenient, easy, handy; suitable”), from Old Norse gegn (“fit, serviceable; direct, straight; honest; kindly”) + -ly (suffix forming adjectives from nouns)). Compare dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk ugjegnleg (“stubborn; troublesome”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word