Ham-fisted

/ˈhæmˌfɪstɪd/ · adjective

Meaning

Lacking skill in physical movement with the hands; clumsy..

Definitions by Sense

1. Lacking skill in physical movement with the hands; clumsy.
2. (by extension) Lacking skill in general; incompetent.

Example Sentences

"God damn and blast all you hamfisted yokels!" he was saying. "And you, sir, down there. Take that grin off your face and be more careful, or I'll have you clapped under hatches to sail with us today. Easy, there, easy! Christ, rum at seven guineas an anker isn't meant to be dropped like pig iron!"

[Stephen] Harper has a few weeks' grace, during which he and his ham-fisted finance minister, Jim Flaherty, can ponder the error of their ways.

In 1973, Sonia Orwell broke David Bowie's heart by refusing him permission to adapt her late husband [George Orwell]'s final novel into a rock musical. She had rebuffed every request since the hamfisted 1956 movie version starring Edmond O'Brien, and was never likely to make an exception for a glam-rock dandy, but he was sorely aggrieved.

What an utter farce. Just like DfT [the Department for Transport]'s ham-fisted, blundering ticket office closure programme.

Synonyms for ham-fisted

Antonyms for ham-fisted

Related Words

Word Forms

• more ham-fisted
• most ham-fisted
• hamfisted

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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