as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
a long-handled wrench that is too cumbersome for tight spots, such as under the sink
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cumbersome
Like the cumbersome, omnipresent sheriff's duty belt, complete with handgun, handcuffs and the works.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The results are incredibly detailed, although the accessory is cumbersome.
—PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Westonetek Add-a-bag Luggage Strap, 2-pack Flight attendants also love this luggage strap for their own cumbersome travel loads.
—Aly Walansky, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cumbersome
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The results are incredibly detailed, although the accessory is cumbersome.
—PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Westonetek Add-a-bag Luggage Strap, 2-pack Flight attendants also love this luggage strap for their own cumbersome travel loads.
—Aly Walansky, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cumbersome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbersome
Adjective
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What resulted is one of the most comic, counterproductive, and clumsy episodes in the long history of British efforts to deal with Ireland.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
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So, how did Musk go from a champion of the internet’s go-to reference resource to this clumsy attempt at killing it?—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Insert one very awkward stalemate between the pair here.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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Lisa Frankenstein centers on awkward and antisocial high schooler Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) after the violent demise of her mother.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Despite the game’s unwieldy duration, 8 million people were still tuned in to Fox when Freeman’s bat finally called it a night.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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A lot of what is unwieldy about Down Cemetery Road stems from the source novel, which predates the Slough House series and showcases a writer with an exceptional gift for dialogue and characterization but a more nascent sense of rudimentary storytelling.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Many of the customary systems that companies are familiar with can be clunky, costly, and difficult to integrate with more contemporary tools.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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The Chiefs’ offense was a clunky 15th in the NFL the last two seasons, though.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cumbersome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumbersome. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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