lumpily

lumpy +‎ -ly

lumpily (comparative more lumpily, superlative most lumpily)

1. In a lumpy manner, with lumps.
   • 1912, Joseph Conrad, A Personal Record, Chapter 4,

     I had no idea that anything in the shape of a horse could be so limp as that, either living or dead. His wild mane hung down lumpily, a mere mass of inanimate horsehair; his aggressive ears had collapsed, but as he went swaying slowly across the front of the bridge I noticed an astute gleam in his dreamy, half-closed eye.

   • 2011, Stephanie Nolen, “India makes a clean start with first laundromat,” The Globe and Mail, 1 February, 2011,

     An hour later, he had paid about $3.25, been talked through the workings of a small bank of stainless-steel machines, and was leaving with a bag of fluffy if lumpily folded clothes.

2. Like a lump; awkwardly, heavily, ponderously.
   • 1897, H. G. Wells, The Invisible Man, Chapter 4,

     He'd stuck his hands in his pockets as I came in, and he sat down lumpily in his chair.

   • 1922, Arnold Bennett, Lilian, Part IV, Chapter 1,

     “You’ll feel better when you’ve drunk this’m,” said the parlourmaid lumpily, pouring out some tea.

   • 1965, “The Silent Sideshow,” Time, 11 June, 1965,

     What ever became of the chaos in Laos? Last year at this time the pro-Communist Pathet Lao were strutting lumpily across the Plain of Jars in their dun-colored uniforms, proudly triumphant over the “neutralist” forces of General Kong Le and threatening to overrun the entire country.

   • 2015, Peter Bradshaw, “The Honourable Rebel review – lustrous life of an aristo adventuress,” The Guardian, 3 December, 2015,

     This extraordinary life probably needed a solidly presented non-fiction film; what we have here is an odd and lumpily constructed drama-doc with daytime-telly production values, featuring some very hammy acting and direction.