1
as in shambling
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in plodding
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the elephant lumbered through the jungle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
the novel's plot lumbers to its predictable conclusion after 500 long pages
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3
4
as in loading
to place a weight or burden on
preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies
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Recent Examples of lumbering
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
The mood in Russia is hard to gauge – criticizing the military can land a person in jail – and the economy keeps lumbering along, despite slowing growth and a Ukrainian campaign of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, the cornerstone of Moscow’s economic power.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
The contrast of a fast-dancing binary and a distant, lumbering giant poses a lingering mystery of how such a massive planet formed and survived in such a dynamically complex system.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The dub veterans bring out the best in each other with a collaborative album that balances lumbering doom with spacey ambience.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Dec. 2025
The Guardian’s Jesse Hassenger says the film can’t even transition between scenes with anything but the lumbering clunkiness of a pizza restaurant robot.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2025
The zebras pranced, all frisky energy; the elephants, lumbering and mournful, trailed behind with their ancient thoughts.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
Almost every song is a lumbering beast so thoroughly composed of bits and pieces from the very best of the entire British popular music tradition as to make each feel inevitable, and the intensity doesn’t let up much until the final track.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
The Celtics pounded the paint with Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, a pair of bruising bigs who also can force the issue from 3-point range despite their lumbering dispositions.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
The mood in Russia is hard to gauge – criticizing the military can land a person in jail – and the economy keeps lumbering along, despite slowing growth and a Ukrainian campaign of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, the cornerstone of Moscow’s economic power.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
The contrast of a fast-dancing binary and a distant, lumbering giant poses a lingering mystery of how such a massive planet formed and survived in such a dynamically complex system.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The dub veterans bring out the best in each other with a collaborative album that balances lumbering doom with spacey ambience.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Dec. 2025
The Guardian’s Jesse Hassenger says the film can’t even transition between scenes with anything but the lumbering clunkiness of a pizza restaurant robot.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2025
The zebras pranced, all frisky energy; the elephants, lumbering and mournful, trailed behind with their ancient thoughts.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
Almost every song is a lumbering beast so thoroughly composed of bits and pieces from the very best of the entire British popular music tradition as to make each feel inevitable, and the intensity doesn’t let up much until the final track.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbering
Adjective
-
These movies—including the seven-hour-long Sátántangó, a centerpiece of which is a shambling dance in a barroom—often swap the meandering sentence for a single camera shot that lasts 10 minutes or more.—
Walt Hunter,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Once the beyond-the-grave comeuppance arrives, this short is just standard shambling ghouls and raining blood.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
What truly hampers Regretting You is its inescapable unoriginality, its plodding, uninventive, unthoughtful attempts at swoon and heartbreak.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Occasionally, as in the obscurity of Legion’s later episodes or the plodding pace of some Fargo plots, this approach can verge on self-indulgence.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
So, if the Phillies were to target Bichette, there would be some sort of shuffling in the infield.—
Patrick McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
In 2022, Kelsey pleaded guilty to illegally shuffling money from his state Senate campaign account to his federal congressional campaign account.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Seven years of stumbling around.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
After stumbling into a massive camp full of refugees from Nilfgaard’s ongoing campaign, Geralt winds up witness to a witch trial.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The boats hit the Gulf of Mexico before dawn, engines rumbling out diesel smoke while dead-eyed gulls clear their throats and wait to feast on the fishermen’s leftovers.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Thousands stomped in the bleachers, creating rumbling waves of adoration.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The container is insulated and protected from weather and palletized for easy transport using a forklift for loading onto vehicles or aircraft.—
Gidget Fuentes,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
-
There might also be loading instructions in the machine’s manual.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Southern and central Ohio generally see less lake-effect snow, but cold snaps from a wobbly polar vortex can still bring notable snow events — especially when storms track nearby.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Californians aren’t rushing to buy either homes or new vehicles – a sign of skittish consumers in a wobbly economy.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Director Michael Arden, meanwhile, is up to his elbows just moving the cumbersome Legos of Dane Laffrey’s set around.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The government has relaxed its once-cumbersome visa process and invested heavily in airport and road upgrades to make the country’s immense, underexplored landscapes more accessible.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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