ham-fistedness
Lacking delicate touch
Ham-fistedness is clumsy, heavy-handed behavior—lacking delicacy or finesse.
The image is of hands too big and blunt for precise work.
It applies to physical awkwardness but more often to social or diplomatic blundering: The ham-fistedness of his apology only made things worse.
British English prefers ham-fisted; American English often uses ham-handed.
Lack of physical grace
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- butterfingersClumsy dropper of things
- droppingLetting something fall
- knockingStriking to announce presence
spilling · stumbling · tripping · bumbling · ungainliness · awkwardness · uncoordinated · maladroit
Doing something poorly
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- amateurishLacking professional skill
- incompetentLacking necessary skill
- slapdashHasty and careless
crude · rough · unpolished · inelegant · clunky · kludge · hacky · shoddy
Absence of social sensitivity
- bluntnessFrank, unvarnished manner
- insensitivityLack of emotional awareness
- indelicacyWant of propriety
- gauchenessSocial ineptitude
boorishness · crassness · gracelessness · undiplomatic · tone-deaf · foot-in-mouth · inappropriate · offensive
clumsiness
Lack of physical grace
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- butterfingersClumsy dropper of things
- droppingLetting something fall
knocking · spilling · stumbling · tripping · bumbling · ungainliness · awkwardness · uncoordinated · maladroit · oafishness
botching
Doing something poorly
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- amateurishLacking professional skill
- incompetentLacking necessary skill
slapdash · crude · rough · unpolished · inelegant · clunky · kludge · hacky · shoddy · slipshod
tactlessness
Absence of social sensitivity
- bluntnessFrank, unvarnished manner
- insensitivityLack of emotional awareness
- indelicacyWant of propriety
gaucheness · boorishness · crassness · gracelessness · undiplomatic · tone-deaf · foot-in-mouth · inappropriate · offensive · oblivious
- clunkinessawkwardness, bulkiness, clumsiness, ungainliness, unwieldiness
ham-fistednessdeftness
Skillful ease of movement
dexterity · nimbleness · adroitness · agility · sure-handedness
ham-fistednesstact
Sensitivity in speech
diplomacy · finesse · tactfulness · delicacy · subtlety
ham-fistednessfinesse
Subtle, deft handling
deftness · skillfulness · delicacy · subtlety · adroitness
fist, fisted, ham-fisted, fists, fisting, hams, hammed, hamming