butterfingered

adjective

ˈbə-tər-ˌfiŋ-gərd How to pronounce butterfingered (audio)
Definition of butterfingerednext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for butterfingered
  1. clumsy
  2. awkward
  3. maladroit
Adjective
  • Yirenki’s challenge on Christos Tzolis is clumsy, but well short of a first yellow card, let alone a second.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Vocals are surprisingly good, despite the show being a bit awkward and clumsy at times.
    — Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • The Moon in Pisces moves through your 6th House of Work, Health, and Daily Routines while making an awkward angle to Venus in Libra and your 1st House of Self.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Most of us have felt awkward during those first tentative steps back into dating.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 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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Cite this Entry

“Butterfingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butterfingered. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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