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
Examples of cumbersome in a Sentence
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.
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
Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Federal law has long given authorities the power to impose such fines, although they were rarely issued until the first Trump administration, and even then only rarely because officials found the process cumbersome.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Future challenges to presidential actions may require either cumbersome class action lawsuits or a patchwork of individual cases – potentially leaving many Americans without immediate protection from policies that courts determine violate the Constitution.
—Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
The actions come as deepfakes have become increasingly common, affecting celebrities such as pop star Taylor Swift and even Pope Francis as well as many less famous people, and also grown more cumbersome to identify as AI-generated.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cumbersome
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Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Federal law has long given authorities the power to impose such fines, although they were rarely issued until the first Trump administration, and even then only rarely because officials found the process cumbersome.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Future challenges to presidential actions may require either cumbersome class action lawsuits or a patchwork of individual cases – potentially leaving many Americans without immediate protection from policies that courts determine violate the Constitution.
—Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
The actions come as deepfakes have become increasingly common, affecting celebrities such as pop star Taylor Swift and even Pope Francis as well as many less famous people, and also grown more cumbersome to identify as AI-generated.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cumbersome
Cite this Entry
“Cumbersome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cumbersome. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cumbersome
adjective
cum·ber·some
ˈkəm-bər-səm
: hard to handle or manage because of size or weight
cumbersomely
adverb
cumbersomeness
noun
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