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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lumbering
Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Bears were lumbering through neighborhoods, getting into garbage, garages and grills.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
There were two outs, so Alonso ran on contact, but Alvarez’s inability to collect the baseball quickly allowed the lumbering first baseman to score without even a throw.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Mando uses a bomb to trip one of the lumbering mechs, sending it crashing down the mountain, then jetpacks up to the hatch of another.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Any second, surely, Dad’s tan Mercedes would glide into view and start its rumbling, lumbering ascent up the gravel drive.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Its creators, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, Frankensteined the series by stitching together two moribund TV genres—the mockumentary sitcom and the prank show—to construct something new, if still lumbering.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
The only real midrange comes from what sounds like inclement weather or the occasional distant, lumbering percussion.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
These tanks were mainly slow, lumbering, and limited in range.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Bears were lumbering through neighborhoods, getting into garbage, garages and grills.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
There were two outs, so Alonso ran on contact, but Alvarez’s inability to collect the baseball quickly allowed the lumbering first baseman to score without even a throw.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Mando uses a bomb to trip one of the lumbering mechs, sending it crashing down the mountain, then jetpacks up to the hatch of another.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Any second, surely, Dad’s tan Mercedes would glide into view and start its rumbling, lumbering ascent up the gravel drive.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Its creators, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, Frankensteined the series by stitching together two moribund TV genres—the mockumentary sitcom and the prank show—to construct something new, if still lumbering.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
The only real midrange comes from what sounds like inclement weather or the occasional distant, lumbering percussion.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbering
Adjective
-
With almost no plan, Sonny makes a shambling attempt at an armed robbery, only to end up trapped in the bank with the manager and five female tellers as his hostages.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
-
One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’).—
Dan Sheehan,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Neither is known for having much of an off-the-dribble game that could hurt the plodding Porzingis or Horford.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
His jogging gait is a bit plodding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Facebook groups and other online communities have sprung up around shuffling, allowing expats navigating all sorts of situations to compare notes and share strategies.—
Carole Rosenblat,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
But sometimes, simply shuffling the pieces can help, in our view.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
America is building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence but stumbling badly in applying it.—
Drew Cukor,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The classroom was noisy as well as overheated, with the rumbling boiler, directly beneath them, kicking in.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
The Fever’s home faithful will welcome Clark’s return from injury with a rumbling adoration.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The pads typically have 15 vans loading up packages every 20 minutes, though the number more than doubles around the holiday season.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
-
That includes moving baggage, loading cargo and assisting with equipment.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Fix wobbly furniture or handrails, or ask a friend or family member to help.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 May 2026
-
The Minnesota Wild’s big guns showed up in a big way Saturday night, and the Avs looked wobbly for the first time in this tournament in a 5-1 loss in Game 3 at Grand Casino Arena.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
These tanks needed to be swift, well-protected, and capable of delivering high volumes of firepower, without being extremely cumbersome or heavy.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
Traditional borrowing can be cumbersome, but some institutions will lend to collectors solely on the value of their art holdings.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
Robb Report,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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