HAM-FISTED Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

ham-fisted

adjective

ˈham-ˌfi-stəd

Definition of ham-fisted

as in clumsy

lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands that's a ham-fisted paint job if I ever saw one

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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.

Recent Examples of ham-fisted And some obvious references to the Garden of Eden with a woman named Eve searching for her truth are ham-fisted, but also a hallmark of the genre. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025 The bill could not have been better designed to violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause; as a law school practice problem, it would have been considered a little ham-fisted. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025 Musk’s tactics are ham-fisted, but the bottom line in ensuring the country’s bottom line is sound, is a good one and worth pursuing. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2025 Merz’s gambit, though ham-fisted, was a recognition that rebuilding public trust around migration policy will be key to the next government’s success. — Ido Vock, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ham-fisted

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

Browse Nearby Words

hamartias

ham-fisted

ham-handed

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

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Synonyms of ham-fisted

adjective

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