maladroit
adjective
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Maladroit Comes From Old and Middle French
To understand the origin of maladroit, you need to put together some Middle French and Old French building blocks. The first is the word mal, meaning "bad," and the second is the phrase a droit, meaning "properly." You can parse the phrase even further into the components a, meaning "to" or "at," and droit, meaning "right, direct, or straight." Middle French speakers put those pieces together as maladroit to describe the clumsy among them, and English speakers borrowed the word intact back in the 17th century. Its opposite, of course, is adroit, which we adopted from the French in the same century.
Synonyms
- awkward
- butterfingered
- cack-handed [British]
- clumsy
- graceless
- ham-fisted
- ham-handed
- handless
- heavy-handed
- left-handed
- unhandy
Example Sentences
The Editors, National Review, 15 Aug. 2021 The series is itself like a socially awkward teen-age nerd—charming but maladroit, heedless, a little exhausting. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 10 May 2020 His own party criticizes what many call his maladroit communication on an anxiety-inducing subject. Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 9 Dec. 2019 Playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon concoct for her a suitor who’s just as introverted and socially maladroit, the newly wealthy Arthur de Bourgh. Dominic P. Papatola, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2019 Equally maladroit was her debate decision to wrap herself in an unpopular policy that ended 20 years ago. George Will, National Review, 7 July 2019 Equally maladroit was her debate decision to wrap herself in an unpopular policy that ended 20 years ago. George Will, Twin Cities, 7 July 2019 Hicks bungled his hijacking of the Johnson, however, and proved maladroit at escaping, leaving a clear trail of evidence along his getaway route. Rinker Buck, WSJ, 28 June 2019 Trump may have been typically maladroit at actually executing on this policy view, but that’s a side issue. Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 12 June 2018 See More Word History
French, from Middle French, from mal- + adroit
1685, in the meaning defined above
maladroit
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- clumsy
- awkward
- butterfingered
- graceless
- ham-handed
- ham-fisted
- cack-handed
- unhandy
- handless
- uncoordinated
- all thumbs
- bungling
- gauche
- heavy-handed
- left-handed
- inept
- unskilled
- inexpert
- unskillful
- bunglesome
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dextrous
- dexterous
- skilled
- skillful
- deft
- handy
- masterly
- expert
- sure-handed
- coordinated
Synonyms & Similar Words
- clumsy
- awkward
- bungling
- inept
- incompetent
- careless
- fumbled
- botched
- inexperienced
- inexpert
- sloppy
- tactless
- amateurish
- ineffectual
- inefficient
- unskilled
- amateur
- unprofessional
- unpolished
- crude
- ineffectual
- undiplomatic
- unskillful
- misguided
- misdirected
- ineffective
- green
- tacky
- ill-advised
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- adroit
- facile
- competent
- deft
- capable
- professional
- skilled
- skillful
- dextrous
- adept
- able
- talented
- dexterous
- polished
- clever
- proficient
- expert
- masterly
- consummate
- diplomatic
- masterful
- accomplished
- easy
- smooth
- tactful
- gracious
- crackerjack
- effortless
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of maladroit are awkward, clumsy, gauche, and inept. While all these words mean "not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct)," maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations.
The meanings of awkward and maladroit largely overlap; however, awkward is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact.
While the synonyms clumsy and maladroit are close in meaning, clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill.
In some situations, the words gauche and maladroit are roughly equivalent. However, gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding.
The synonyms inept and maladroit are sometimes interchangeable, but inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy.