Etymology

maladroit

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Today it means: Not adroit; awkward, clumsy, inept. Full definition →

First used 1670sFrench maladroit
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The story

  1. French · borrowed frommaladroit
  2. English todaymaladroit

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

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1670s Not adroit; awkward, clumsy, inept.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.