cumbersome

adjective cum·ber·some \ ˈkəm-bər-səm \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of cumbersome

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

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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.

Recent Examples of cumbersome from the Web

Less defensible reasons are mere inertia or, even worse, the belief on the part of a few judges that cumbersome formal language is needed to give jurors a sense of the majesty of the law.

— The Economist, "Too often juries comprise 12 confused men (and women)," 14 Apr. 2018
Earlier-generation cold caps that work with dry ice can be effective and less expensive, but are cumbersome, doctors said.

— liz kowalczyk, BostonGlobe.com, "New therapy allows cancer patients to keep hair but most insurers won’t cover it," 12 Apr. 2018
Inside the cumbersome bun were too-few slices of good-quality mozzarella, red sauce and far too many unsalted, halved cherry tomatoes.

— anna caplan, star-telegram, "Urban Bricks' serviceable fast-casual pizza in north Arlington lacking in authenticity | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 11 Apr. 2018
All the hoop-jumping can be cumbersome for the average Westworld fan to track.

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "A guide to Westworld’s viral marketing, for fans who don’t want to translate binary code," 6 Apr. 2018
Some of my driving clips are quite long (pushing 18 minutes), making them cumbersome to view or download on a mobile device.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Garmin Speak Plus review: Alexa is just a passive road-trip buddy," 28 Jan. 2018
In fact, the process to determine your bottom line costs can be quite cumbersome.

— bill mcgee, USA TODAY, "A plea for transparency on airline fees," 10 Jan. 2018
But in decades past, the process was somewhat cumbersome, involving an initial triangulation from cell phone towers followed by further localization with specialized equipment.

— patrik jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Austin bomb saga shows law enforcement's deep new reach," 21 Mar. 2018
Knight’s idea promised to democratize the user-friendly bags, ushering out the cumbersome paper cones in which groceries were formerly carried and ushering in a new era of shopping and transport convenience.

— ryan p. smith, Smithsonian, "Meet the Female Inventor Behind Mass-Market Paper Bags," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cumbersome.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cumbersome

see ¹cumber

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1535

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

cumbersome Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of cumbersome

heavy, weighty, ponderous, cumbrous, cumbersome mean having great weight. heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.