cumbersome

adjective

cum·ber·some | \ˈkəm-bər-səm

Definition of cumbersome

1 : unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk a cumbersome package

2 : slow-moving : ponderous cumbersome administrative procedures

Other Words from cumbersome Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about cumbersome

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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. a heavy child for his age weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight. a load of weighty boxes ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia. ponderous elephants in a circus parade 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

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 on the Web

Part netbook and part convertible, this year's edition remains quirky but seems more practical and less cumbersome than the original. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Lenovo Yoga Book 2018 review: The keyless keyboard returns, now in E Ink," 2 Nov. 2018 Well, for one, the shoulder bag is far less cumbersome than those black-hole totes made for lugging laptops and liter bottles of water. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "The Hottest Bag of the Late ’90s Is Back," 9 Oct. 2018 Videos will be more cumbersome to find, share and embed, and will no longer appear in YouTube and Facebook’s discovery engines. — Dan Frommer, Recode, "Apple, YouTube and Facebook won’t silence Alex Jones and Infowars — but their bans will sharply limit his reach," 6 Aug. 2018 The country entered a deep recession in 2014 spurred by the drop in global oil prices, and cumbersome regulations on its currency are helping produce record-breaking inflation. — Alex Ward, Vox, "We need to talk about the fact that Trump seriously considered invading Venezuela," 6 July 2018 The upshot is that the tech firms that list in China will, for their troubles, face cumbersome new regulations. — The Economist, "China tries to lure its tech firms into listing at home," 10 May 2018 The nonprofit hopes to soon do the same with newer-tech dental appliances, which can be a more comfortable and less cumbersome way to keep a person’s airway clear. — Théoden Janes, charlotteobserver, "NFL Hall of Famer’s dream house on Lake Norman up for sale," 15 Feb. 2018 Guerra made his own, far less cumbersome trip across the Atlantic to oversee the squids’ unveiling. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Operation Calamari: How the Smithsonian Got Its Giant Squids," 21 June 2018 Most of the profits are derived from the state, where the tax burden is not as cumbersome. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "5 things I found surprising about legal marijuana in Colorado," 12 July 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.