clumsily

/ˈklʌmzɪli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈklʌmzɪli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkləm-zə-lē/ (ame, mw)

clumsily — 副詞

1. while moving the body or hands without smooth control, often dropping things, bu

1.副詞B1
釋義

笨拙地

動作不靈活、容易出意外的樣子

while moving the body or hands without smooth control, often dropping things, bumping into objects, or stumbling

例句

Eli tripped clumsily over the cat and spilled his coffee onto the rug.

Eli 笨拙地被貓絆倒，把咖啡灑到地毯上。

verb of motion + clumsily + result clause

Half asleep, Aylin clumsily knocked her water glass off the bedside table.

睡眼惺忪的 Aylin 笨拙地把床頭的水杯打翻了。

common pattern: clumsily + transitive verb

同義詞
  • awkwardly

    close synonym; emphasises lack of grace more than risk of accident

  • ungainly

    describes the overall look of the movement; less common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • gracefully

    moving with smooth, attractive control

  • deftly

    with neat, skilful hand movements

文法句型

modifies verbs of motion or physical action

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person; the verb is almost always a physical action (trip, drop, knock, hold, climb). Distinguish from sense 2, which is about skill or judgement, not bodily coordination.

常見錯誤

❌He spoke clumsily about her divorce.
✅He spoke tactlessly about her divorce.
💡when the issue is choice of words rather than physical movement, use 'tactlessly' or sense 2 with a clearly mental verb.

2. when handling a task or social situation with little skill, care, or tact, somet

2.副詞B2
釋義

拙劣地

處理事情或說話缺乏技巧或分寸

when handling a task or social situation with little skill, care, or tact, sometimes upsetting other people

例句

The new manager clumsily handled the complaint and left the customer angrier than before.

新來的主管處理客訴的方式很拙劣，客人離開時比進來時還生氣。

common pattern: clumsily + handle/deal with

Esme tried to apologise but worded her message clumsily, making her friend feel worse.

Esme 想道歉，但訊息寫得很不得體，反而讓朋友更難過。

subject + verb + object + clumsily for tactless communication

同義詞
  • tactlessly

    specifically about words that upset others; narrower than sense 2

  • awkwardly

    overlaps with this sense when describing social handling

  • ineptly

    more formal; stronger sense of being unfit for the task

反義詞

文法句型

modifies verbs of speaking, writing, or handling situations

用法筆記

Often used with verbs of communication or problem-solving (handle, deal with, word, write, bring up). Distinguish from sense 1: here the failure is in skill, tact, or judgement, not in physical coordination.

常見錯誤

❌She dropped the plate clumsily handled it.
✅She handled the plate clumsily and dropped it.
💡keep one verb per clause; place 'clumsily' next to the verb it modifies.