unwieldy

adjective

un·​wieldy ˌən-ˈwēl-dē How to pronounce unwieldy (audio)
: not easily managed, handled, or used (as because of bulk, weight, complexity, or awkwardness) : cumbersome
unwieldily adverb
unwieldiness noun

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The Difference Between Wieldy and Unwieldy

The verb to wield means "to handle or exert something effectively." A carpenter might wield a hammer with impressive dexterity, for example, or a talented orator might wield influence over an audience of listeners. Something that is "wieldy" is capable of being wielded easily, and while that adjective may not be particularly common, its antonym "unwieldy" finds ample use to describe anything that is awkward to handle, move, or manage. "Wield" and its relatives all derive via Middle English from Old English wieldan, meaning "to control."

Examples of unwieldy in a Sentence

The system is outdated and unwieldy. an unwieldy machine that requires two people to operate it
Recent Examples on the Web Leaders can adopt consistent, strategic best practices during this pivotal time of AI adoption rather than attempting to integrate AI into unwieldy and complex toolchains. Sabrina Farmer, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 To all that, add the enormous extra worldwide attention and unwieldy presence that comes with Ohtani on a daily basis, and Roberts could have melted down before the season even started. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 The ability to apply metadata tags to data assets across Microsoft Fabric enables better organization, searchability, and accessibility; tagging provides context for the data, essential for managing large and often unwieldy data estates. Steve McDowell, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024 What is Climate Week? Climate Week got its start as a small meeting in 2009, positioned as a lead up to the annual United Nations climate meeting called COP, short for the unwieldy Conference of the Parties, which was held in Copenhagen that year. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unwieldy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unwieldy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unwieldy was in 1530

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Dictionary Entries Near unwieldy

Cite this Entry

“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwieldy. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

unwieldy

adjective
un·​wieldy ˌən-ˈwē(ə)l-dē How to pronounce unwieldy (audio)
ˈən-
: not easily handled or managed because of size or weight : awkward, cumbersome
an unwieldy tool

More from Merriam-Webster on unwieldy

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