bulky

adjective

ˈbəl-kē 

also ˈbu̇l-

bulkier; bulkiest

1

a

: having bulk

b(1)

: large of its kind

(2)

: corpulent

2

: having great volume in proportion to weight

a bulky knit sweater

bulkily

ˈbəl-kə-lē 

adverb

bulkiness

ˈbəl-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of bulky

• large
• sizable
• substantial
• oversize
• considerable
• big
• handsome
• huge

Examples of bulky in a Sentence

a big, bulky football player

bulky packages might cost more to mail

Recent Examples on the Web

This is an ideal arrangement for handling bulky or messy supplies for projects, or for letting maintenance personnel into the home to work on the mechanical systems. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026

Despite decades of research, terahertz systems have remained largely confined to laboratories because the equipment needed to generate, manipulate, and detect these signals is often bulky, expensive, and difficult to scale. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026

The oxygen itself is produced chemically on demand rather than being stored in a pressurized tank, which would be far too bulky and heavy for the insect to carry. — New Atlas, 18 July 2026

That’s enough room to accommodate bulky cargo with the ease of a minivan. — ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for bulky

• sulky

Kids Definition

bulky

adjective

ˈbəl-kē 

bulkier; bulkiest

1

: large in size or mass

2

: being large and hard to handle

bulkiness noun