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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the adjective cumbersome differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbersome are cumbrous, heavy, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," 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

Where would heavy be a reasonable alternative to cumbersome?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbersome, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

When can ponderous be used instead of cumbersome?

The words ponderous and cumbersome can be used in similar contexts, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

When might weighty be a better fit than cumbersome?

In some situations, the words weighty and cumbersome are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cumbersome While an upper arm monitor is more cumbersome, accuracy is what matters. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025 Automotive industry groups have complained about the cumbersome process of trying to get necessary approvals, warning of increasing production threats as inventories deplete. Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 June 2025 Those who wish to become citizens can do so, but the process costs hundreds of dollars and can be cumbersome. Mark Thiessen, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025 Both cumbersome and downbeat, Final Reckoning raises the global stakes but suffers from pitting Ethan and the gang against a faceless, personality-free foe, an AI villain named the Entity introduced in the previous film. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for cumbersome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbersome
Adjective
  • Herbert includes a range of moments, from earnest attempts to talk about the enslaved people that maintained all these palatial homes to clumsier ones in which they are referred to as workers, insinuating that their labor was paid for instead of forced.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
  • The aftermath of Virginia’s clumsy tumble into a rose bed where her exposed cleavage is profusely pricked by thorns lasts for all of one scene.
    Courtney Howard, Variety, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • The next mayor, like so many of his predecessors, will have to engage in awkward negotiations with politicians in Albany.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • Barely a week goes by without some fresh young talent arriving in West London to pose for the media with a Blue jersey and an awkward grin.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Inflation Reduction Act clawbacks desired by a large portion of the GOP are just a small part of the unwieldy bill.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 27 June 2025
  • Because of the pandemic, multiple Hollywood strikes, and turmoil at Marvel Studios, it’s taken four and a half years for the show to materialize, though Thorne played the character in 2022’s unwieldy Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Maryland product’s fit within the current Pelicans’ team is a clunky one.
    Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
  • This happens because monoterpenes are clunky molecules full of carbon atoms.
    Max G. Levy, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cumbersome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumbersome. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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