Standard Lemma guide

maladroit

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˌmæl.əˈdɹɔɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AE2 L AH0 D R OY1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not adroit; awkward, clumsy, inept.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Somebody who is inept, or lacking in skill, or talent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

not adroit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a maladroit movement of his hand caused the car to swerve
  • a maladroit translation
  • maladroit propaganda

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: adroit

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French maladroit, from mal- (“bad, badly”) + adroit (“skilful”), equivalent to mal- + adroit.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: несръчен (nesrǎčen) — not adroit; clumsy
  • Catalan: maldestre — not adroit; clumsy
  • Czech: nešikovný — not adroit; clumsy
  • Dutch: onhandig — not adroit; clumsy
  • Dutch: onbeholpen — not adroit; clumsy
  • Esperanto: mallerta — not adroit; clumsy
  • French: maladroit — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: mangariñas — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: toutón — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: fozón — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: baldrocas — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: torgalleiro — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: támaro — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: tarulo — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: tamolas — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: zoupón — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: moucán — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: chouso — not adroit; clumsy
  • Galician: crenca — not adroit; clumsy
  • German: ungeschickt — not adroit; clumsy
  • German: unbeholfen — not adroit; clumsy
  • Norwegian: klossete — not adroit; clumsy
  • Norwegian: ubehjelpelig — not adroit; clumsy
  • Polish: niezręczny — not adroit; clumsy
  • Polish: niezgrabny — not adroit; clumsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: nespretan — not adroit; clumsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: šeprtljav — not adroit; clumsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: nezgrapan — not adroit; clumsy
  • Spanish: desacertado — not adroit; clumsy
  • Spanish: torpe — not adroit; clumsy
  • Swedish: fumlig — not adroit; clumsy
  • Swedish: tafatt — not adroit; clumsy
  • Swedish: klumpig — not adroit; clumsy
  • Tagalog: padaskul-daskol — not adroit; clumsy