Comparative form of clumsy; more awkward, ungainly, or lacking grace in movement or action.
From clumsy (lacking grace or skill) plus -er (comparative suffix). 'Clumsy' itself comes from Scandinavian roots related to being stiff or numb. The comparative -er is one of the oldest English suffixes, used to compare two things for nearly 1,500 years.
English has two ways to make comparisons—you can say 'more clumsy' or 'clumsier,' but one-syllable adjectives almost always use -er (bigger, faster, colder) while longer ones use 'more' (more beautiful, more reasonable). This split happened naturally because -er is easier to pronounce than adding 'more,' which is why speech patterns shape grammar rules.
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