as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
it took two people to haul the cumbrous machine into the garage
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cumbrous
There were three good reasons to abandon the Clean Power Plan, and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt cited two of them in his decision, announced Monday, to rescind the cumbrous carbon dioxide rule.
—
The Editors, National Review, 9 Oct. 2017
The Road Home Program, a state program supposed to help rebuild, was cumbrous and slow, and grants often didn’t cover the cost of repairs.
—Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2017
The ordinary secular mode of divorce in India is, like any other Indian legal proceeding, rather more cumbrous.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2017
The Editors, National Review, 9 Oct. 2017
The Road Home Program, a state program supposed to help rebuild, was cumbrous and slow, and grants often didn’t cover the cost of repairs.
—Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2017
The ordinary secular mode of divorce in India is, like any other Indian legal proceeding, rather more cumbrous.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbrous
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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
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In-call operations, such as managing state or editing messages, are more cumbersome with audio.—
Arkadiy Telegin,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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For sharp images, stability is key—but a traditional tripod is cumbersome inside the confines of a safari vehicle.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Travel + Leisure,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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The cornerstones of maps’ data pools are satellite images and a tireless fleet of Street View cars that roam with ungainly camera hats, constantly refreshing neighborhood-level detail.—
Sonya Bennett-Brandt,
AFAR Media,
25 June 2025
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The resulting Cheetah was, frankly, an ungainly machine, more like an oversized four-wheel ATV than a Ford Bronco or Mercedes G-Wagen.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The book’s languor can be ponderous and vintage, more 20th century than 21st.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
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Parts of the final’s first half — slow and ponderous, with full-back Malo Gusto severely inverted — explained why a portion of Chelsea’s crowd are sceptical about him.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cumbrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumbrous. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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