BUTTERFINGERED Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

butterfingered

adjective

ˈbə-tər-ˌfiŋ-gərd

Definition of butterfingered

as in clumsy

lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands I'm so butterfingered this morning—I keep dropping things

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for butterfingered

Adjective

Here, his clumsy, winky, affected, and self-undercutting direction can’t even work the charming Jenna Ortega to a great performance, as her Klara is flattened into a bundle of manic pixie mannerisms both physical and verbal.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
Some Latinas are nerds, and some Latinas are quirky, and some of them are goofy and some of them are clumsy.

— Johanna Ferreira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of clumsy

Adjective

The Basketmaker—whose skills go far beyond furniture making—weaves her a match, Fiddler on the Roof-like, and the Fisherwoman, after an awkward matrimonial moment, takes Wicker Husband home to her funky little cottage.

— Valerie Monroe, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026
The pushback is awkward for a government that went out of its way to land the project.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of awkward

Adjective

At her side is her maladroit cameraman Manu, (a winning turn from Jean-Baptiste Shelmerdine).

— John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
Michael Strassner, who co-wrote the film with Duplass, stars as Cliff, a physically maladroit, mildly depressive but sweet-natured man whose thick beard and portly bearing suggest Lord of the Rings-era Peter Jackson.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025

Definition of maladroit

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

buttered up

butterfingered

butterfingers

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“Butterfingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butterfingered. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of butterfingered

adjective

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