cumbersome

adjective

cum·ber·some ˈkəm-bər-səm How to pronounce cumbersome (audio)

: unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk

a cumbersome package

: slow-moving : ponderous

cumbersome administrative procedures

dialect : burdensome, troublesome

cumbersomely adverb

cumbersomeness noun

Example Sentences

Squad members, already decked out in cumbersome chemical suits, put on masks and rubber gloves.

Ray Wilkinson, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 1991 He got the approval of the higher-ups, but the course was scuttled by members of his own department, who devised all kinds of cumbersome, silly requirements and prerequisites.

Alice Munro, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 1989 He cut some segments of the 2" pine but discovered that … a cumbersome system of braces would be needed to hold the sides straight.

John Updike, Couples, 1968 The application process is cumbersome and time-consuming. Her expanded job title is really cumbersome.

Recent Examples on the Web The wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, cumbersome.

Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2022 Government action is seen as a slow, cumbersome, and blunt tool–a boulder thrown into the otherwise smooth waters of market efficiency.

Denise Hearn, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2022 Processes may be perceived as bureaucracy, but in my experience, it is only called that when processes are cumbersome, complicated and unpredictable in regard to outcomes.

Norma Watenpaugh, Forbes, 18 July 2022 But the legal process is cumbersome, expensive and long drawn.

Diksha Madhok, CNN, 6 July 2022 Every city in Arizona’s NDO has processes that are cumbersome, lengthy and difficult to navigate and enforce.

Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 July 2022 Today, a new wave of false eyelashes offers an alternative to the bigger-is-better mentality: faux fringe that’s ultrarealistic, less cumbersome to wear and expressly intended to be gender-fluid.

New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022 Despite having a 22 percent larger screen than its predecessor, Lenovo's 16-inch ThinkPad X1 Fold didn't feel much more cumbersome to carry.

Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2022 Should restaurants continue using a technology that diners loathe, or revert to the more cumbersome option?

Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 20 Aug. 2022 See More

cumbersome

adjective

as in clumsy

difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design a long-handled wrench that is too cumbersome for tight spots, such as under the sink

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

clumsy
awkward
unwieldy
clunky
ungainly
cumbrous
unhandy
ponderous
heavy
impractical
bulky
unmanageable
cranky
massive
bunglesome
uncontrollable
impracticable
elephantine
hulking
dinosauric
dinosaurian

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

practical
useful
handy
functional
practicable
serviceable

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of cumbersome are cumbrous, heavy, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating.

wrestled with the cumbrous furniture

early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbersome, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

The words ponderous and cumbersome can be used in similar contexts, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

In some situations, the words weighty and cumbersome are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

单词	cumbersome
释义	cumbersome adjective cum·ber·some ˈkəm-bər-səm 1 : unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk a cumbersome package 2 : slow-moving : ponderous cumbersome administrative procedures 3 dialect : burdensome, troublesome cumbersomely adverb cumbersomeness noun Synonyms awkward bunglesome clumsy clunky cranky cumbrous ponderous ungainly unhandy unwieldy See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Squad members, already decked out in cumbersome chemical suits, put on masks and rubber gloves. Ray Wilkinson, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 1991 He got the approval of the higher-ups, but the course was scuttled by members of his own department, who devised all kinds of cumbersome, silly requirements and prerequisites. Alice Munro, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 1989 He cut some segments of the 2" pine but discovered that … a cumbersome system of braces would be needed to hold the sides straight. John Updike, Couples, 1968 The application process is cumbersome and time-consuming. Her expanded job title is really cumbersome. Recent Examples on the Web The wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, cumbersome. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2022 Government action is seen as a slow, cumbersome, and blunt tool–a boulder thrown into the otherwise smooth waters of market efficiency. Denise Hearn, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2022 Processes may be perceived as bureaucracy, but in my experience, it is only called that when processes are cumbersome, complicated and unpredictable in regard to outcomes. Norma Watenpaugh, Forbes, 18 July 2022 But the legal process is cumbersome, expensive and long drawn. Diksha Madhok, CNN, 6 July 2022 Every city in Arizona’s NDO has processes that are cumbersome, lengthy and difficult to navigate and enforce. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 July 2022 Today, a new wave of false eyelashes offers an alternative to the bigger-is-better mentality: faux fringe that’s ultrarealistic, less cumbersome to wear and expressly intended to be gender-fluid. New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022 Despite having a 22 percent larger screen than its predecessor, Lenovo's 16-inch ThinkPad X1 Fold didn't feel much more cumbersome to carry. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2022 Should restaurants continue using a technology that diners loathe, or revert to the more cumbersome option? Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 20 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology see cumber entry 1 First Known Use 1535, in the meaning defined at sense 3 Kids Definition cumbersome adjective cum·ber·some ˈkəm-bər-səm : hard to handle or manage because of size or weight cumbersome adjective as in clumsy difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design a long-handled wrench that is too cumbersome for tight spots, such as under the sink Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance clumsy awkward unwieldy clunky ungainly cumbrous unhandy ponderous heavy impractical bulky unmanageable cranky massive bunglesome uncontrollable impracticable elephantine hulking dinosauric dinosaurian Antonyms & Near Antonyms practical useful handy functional practicable serviceable Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of cumbersome are cumbrous, heavy, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating. wrestled with the cumbrous furniture early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient While in some cases nearly identical to cumbersome, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class. a heavy child for his age The words ponderous and cumbersome can be used in similar contexts, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia. ponderous elephants in a circus parade In some situations, the words weighty and cumbersome are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight. a load of weighty boxes
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cumbersome

adjective

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser