1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in massive
having great weight
those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
lugged a ponderous movie camera all over China
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
Credit to Slot and the players for increasing the tempo of the game since that half with quicker passes and less ponderous buildup.
—Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
What happens to the victims is swept under the rug, but the number of traumatized, law abiding citizens paying a dear price now under that rug is becoming a ponderous digit.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025
Both seasons tackle a wide range of pressing social issues (inequality of wealth, prejudice, capitalism, consumerism) without being ponderous.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
Credit to Slot and the players for increasing the tempo of the game since that half with quicker passes and less ponderous buildup.
—Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
What happens to the victims is swept under the rug, but the number of traumatized, law abiding citizens paying a dear price now under that rug is becoming a ponderous digit.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025
Both seasons tackle a wide range of pressing social issues (inequality of wealth, prejudice, capitalism, consumerism) without being ponderous.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
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Camilla told Newsweek that her husband, Linford, 32, works as a tunnel boring machine operator in London.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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These anything but boring side dishes let the bounty of the season shine in new and exciting ways.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In Season 1, Cassian was part of a massive prison break and an insurrection against Imperial forces in his home of Ferrix.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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The director can watch in real time and add instantaneous comments, eliminating not just the carbon footprint of shipping and travel, but the energy consumption of continuously rendering and transferring massive files.—
Allison Begalman,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Imagine being cuddled by long-legged, clumsy poodles.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
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That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The company reaffirmed plans to launch an affordable model in early 2025, but warned the production ramp could be slower than expected.—
Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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Global headline inflation is expected to decline at a slightly slower pace than what was expected in January.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On Tuesday afternoon, heavy machinery — two yellow excavators — were at work filling buckets of the remains of those homes, dropping them into trucks to be hauled away.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
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Only problem was, the stars no longer shone, and the smell of impending rain was heavy in the air.—
Thomas Weddle,
Outdoor Life,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Its Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen, was in his late 20s and still had an awkward, youthful reserve that turned out to be perfect for this version’s take on the handsome, distant gentleman who falls for Elizabeth.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
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Though, fair warning: a colleague told me using it with their manager made for a very awkward 48 hours.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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View 6 Images Reading and writing on regular tablets can be tiring for your eyes, which is where E Ink can help.—
Paul Ridden,
New Atlas,
20 Mar. 2025
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Ultimately, many on the internet have identified this week as a particularly tiring one for Black K-pop fans.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Over the course of his pontificate, Francis contended with conservatives and with a cumbersome bureaucracy practiced in the art of resisting change.—
Randall Balmer,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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But deportation — a cumbersome process generally involving an arrest, detention, a removal order from a judge and finally a flight out of the U.S. — can take months or years.—
Alyson Hurt,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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