cumbersome

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

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: cumbersome in a Sentence

Definition of cumbersome

1 : unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk

a cumbersome package

2 : slow-moving : ponderous

cumbersome administrative procedures

3 dialect : burdensome, troublesome

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cumbersomely

adverb

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cumbersomeness

noun

See cumbersome defined for English-language learners

See cumbersome defined for kids

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

In terms of design, Aukey's hub is just more cumbersome to use thanks to its brick-like shape.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: Picking the right Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C dock for your desk," 3 July 2018
Mbappe pace and movement was causing Argentina real problems all half, and gave Les Bleus another chance after another cumbersome challenge on him, this time from Nicolas Tagliafico, but Paul Pogba wasted the resulting free kick.

— SI.com, "France 4-3 Argentina: Kylian Mbappé Stars as Les Bleus Overcome La Albiceleste in Last 16 Thriller," 30 June 2018
The critters go by other names including thimble jellyfish, and their sting can cause nasty side effects like a rash, itching, and other cumbersome symptoms.

— sy mukherjee, Fortune, "What You Should Know About These Nasty, Rash-Causing Sea Lice Reported in Florida Beaches," 27 June 2018
For small businesses, the ruling could add the cumbersome task of keeping track of sales taxes across 50 states and thousands of jurisdictions with varying tax codes.

— kate talerico, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky poised to begin levying online sales tax," 22 June 2018
Cities and towns whose citizens initially voted in favor of Question 4 and don’t want to house marijuana establishments are required to opt out using cumbersome referendum procedures.

— timothy naimi, BostonGlobe.com, "Why marijuana policies in Massachusetts aren’t strict enough," 20 June 2018
With their simple hyoid bones and cumbersome bodies, taking flight may have been a way for dinosaurs to eat more efficiently.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Dinosaurs Could Barely Use Their Tongues," 20 June 2018
Because majority of the illnesses came from prepackaged vegetables that have been passed on from suppliers to distributors to processing facilities where they were chopped and bagged, finding out where they were grown is far more cumbersome.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Five dead, nearly 200 sick in E. coli outbreak from lettuce. And investigators are stumped.," 3 June 2018
Some of these third-party peripherals have required cumbersome adapters of their own in the past.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "Microsoft's Xbox Adaptive Controller helps players with disabilities game more comfortably," 17 May 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.