1. lacking grace in movement or posture - a gawky lad with long ungainly legs - clumsy fingers - what an ungainly creature a giraffe is - heaved his unwieldy figure out of his chair • Syn: gawky, clumsy, ungainly, unwieldy • Similar to: awkward • Derivationally related forms: ungainliness (for: ungainly), clumsiness (for: clumsy), gawk (for: gawky), gawkiness (for: gawky) 2. making a clunking sound • Similar to: audible, hearable • Derivationally related forms: clunk