Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective cumbrous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbrous are cumbersome, 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

When could heavy be used to replace cumbrous?

The synonyms heavy and cumbrous are sometimes interchangeable, but heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

Where would ponderous be a reasonable alternative to cumbrous?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbrous, ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

In what contexts can weighty take the place of cumbrous?

The meanings of weighty and cumbrous largely overlap; however, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cumbrous There were three good reasons to abandon the Clean Power Plan, and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt cited two of them in his decision, announced Monday, to rescind the cumbrous carbon dioxide rule. The Editors, National Review, 9 Oct. 2017 The Road Home Program, a state program supposed to help rebuild, was cumbrous and slow, and grants often didn’t cover the cost of repairs. Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbrous
Adjective
  • Maggie is a snoop—and a clumsy one.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
  • But the character’s state of servitude is largely hidden in clumsy blocking.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • That’s six games without a goal now for their new striker, who still looks awkward in this side.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The onion on top is a little awkward to cut and to eat, so think of this as a knife-and-fork cornbread.
    Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • From scrunchies that secretly double as drink covers to zipper clips that stop pickpockets from opening your backpack, these viral finds prove that travel safety doesn’t have to be cumbersome or expensive.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • That aspect of the dispute will be closely watched across the industry, which has embraced streaming but in so doing foisted an unwieldy user experience on viewers of sports.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Leonora possesses an unwieldy, arch brand of femininity.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Critics started using the ungainly term Apatowian to describe his imitators.
    Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
  • An absolute charmer, the film is an affecting look at the human-avian bond, with all its mysteries, warmth and ungainly practicalities.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In their passing, Everton were ponderous and overly reliant on Grealish, feeding him the ball when better options were available.
    Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Despite the political specificity of the family history unearthed here, the script presumes a level of profundity that’s just not there in the movie’s ponderous silences and woozy montages.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cumbrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumbrous. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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