The dog, an ungainly mongrel pup, was loping about the road...
Paul swam in his ungainly way to the side of the pool.
English dictionary. 2008.
Ungainly — Un*gain ly, a. [OE. ungeinliche, adv., fr. ungein inconvenient; un + Icel. gegn ready, serviceable; adv., against, opposite. See {Un } not, and {Gain}, a., {Again}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Not gainly; not expert or dexterous; clumsy; awkward; uncouth; … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Ungainly — Un*gain ly, adv. In an ungainly manner. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
ungainly — [ungān′lē] adj. [ME ungeinliche < ungein, perilous (< un , not + ON gegn, ready, serviceable, akin to OE gegn: see AGAIN) + liche, LY1] 1. awkward; clumsy 2. coarse and unattractive adv. Archaic in an ungainly manner ungainliness n … English World dictionary
ungainly — index incompetent, inelegant, inept (incompetent), uncouth Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
ungainly — (adj.) 1610s, originally unfit, improper, from M.E. ungeinliche, from ungein (c.1400) inconvenient (from UN (Cf. un ) (1) not + O.N. gegn convenient ) + like … Etymology dictionary
ungainly — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ clumsy; awkward. DERIVATIVES ungainliness noun. ORIGIN from obsolete gainly «graceful», from an Old Norse word meaning straight … English terms dictionary
ungainly — adjective Etymology: obsolete gain direct, from Middle English gayn, geyn, from Old English gēn, from Old Norse gegn, from gegn, preposition, against; akin to Old English gēan against more at again Date: 1611 1. a. lacking in smoothness or… … New Collegiate Dictionary
ungainly — ungainliness, n. /un gayn lee/, adj., ungainlier, liest, adv. adj. 1. not graceful; awkward; unwieldy; clumsy: an ungainly child; an ungainly prose style. adv. 2. in an awkward manner. [1150 1200; (adv.) ME ungeinliche, equiv. to un UN 1 + later… … Universalium
ungainly — adj. Ungainly is used with these nouns: ↑walk … Collocations dictionary
ungainly — un|gain|ly [ʌnˈgeınli] adj [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: gainly proper, graceful, pleasing (14 20 centuries), from gain direct, kind, useful (10 19 centuries), from Old Norse gegn] moving in a way that does not look graceful ▪ a tall ungainly… … Dictionary of contemporary English
