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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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
American Primeval, Netflix’s most ambitious western series to date, is unusually explicit in its aim of exploring the latter theme, with results that range from astutely observant to ham-fisted and jarringly sentimental.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025
At the same time, this might also be the most ham-fisted.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 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
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
American Primeval, Netflix’s most ambitious western series to date, is unusually explicit in its aim of exploring the latter theme, with results that range from astutely observant to ham-fisted and jarringly sentimental.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025
At the same time, this might also be the most ham-fisted.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 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
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At times, Alcaraz was almost as clumsy as Federer in his last hurrah here against Hubert Hurkacz in 2021.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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But things get weighed down by a clumsy body-swapping plot and a pairing between Joe and 22 that never fully pays off.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement Advertisement To illustrate this point, consider the best man at a wedding who, instead of celebrating the couple, shares personal stories that only serve to embarrass them, often with awkward details that have no place in such a tender moment.—
Matt Abrahams,
Time,
12 July 2025
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An historic night at Madison Square Garden on Friday night turned into an awkward moment in the wee hours of Saturday morning at the Taylor-Serrano 3 post-fight press conference.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ham-fisted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ham-fisted. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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