Skip to main content
shlep

shlep

9.9
A person who is clumsy or foolish
  • noun
  • /ʃlɛp/
  • Offensive
translation icon : patoso
  • She didn't want to be seen dating a shlep who couldn't dance or hold a conversation.

Examples

  • Don't be such a shlep; get up and help us move these boxes!

  • Despite his best efforts, Joel was always considered a shlep by his more athletic classmates.

  • Don't be such a shlep at the party!

  • That guy is a total shlep when he tries to dance.

  • Everyone laughed at him because he was always acting like a shlep during sports events.

  • At the office, he constantly made silly mistakes, earning the nickname of the office shlep.

  • She avoided inviting him to parties because her friends considered him a shlep in social situations.

Synonyms

doofus
vsshlep
  • Offensive
43 8.0

A person who acts silly or seems not very smart

is more about clumsy or foolish acting rather than playful teasing
lump
vsshlep
  • Offensive
35 7.7

A person who is awkward or slow to do things

is more general awkward or foolish behavior rather than slow thinking
shmuck
vsshlep
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A rude or foolish person who annoys others

is centered on awkward clumsiness rather than being mainly contemptible
schlepper
vsshlep
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is awkward and often drops things when they carry them

focuses on clumsy or foolish behavior not specifically on carrying items
schlep
vsshlep
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A clumsy person who acts foolishly

is the same meaning but without the explicit informal label
shlemiel
vsshlep
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A clumsy person who often makes mistakes and causes small accidents

is similar but describes general foolishness rather than repeated bad luck
stupe
vsshlep
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is not very smart

describes clumsy or foolish behavior rather than only low intellectual ability
shmo
vsshlep
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is foolish and annoys other people

is about awkward or clumsy foolishness rather than rude or mean behavior
shlepper
vsshlep
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is clumsy and looks a little silly

is similar but without the focus on contempt or pity
gropple
vsshlep
  • Informal
9.9

A clumsy person who often drops or breaks things

is the same awkwardness but not defined by causing accidents

How Inept

oaf
  • Offensive
19 6.4
bungler
1 7.8
shlep
  • Offensive
9.9
klutz
  • Offensive
22 8.2

Surface Forms

shlep singular
shleps plural

Etymology

Shlep comes from Yiddish and the old German word schleppen, which means 'to drag'. Think of someone who moves slowly or awkwardly, as if they are being dragged, and you have the idea of a shlep as an awkward or foolish person.