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
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
At a plodding pace, the desert wilderness can be admired in all its granular splendor.—
Anna Zacharias,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Jan. 2026
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But the small lineup has helped with spacing, creating more driving lanes for Dent while also allowing Bilodeau to beat more plodding counterparts on offense.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even when the locals lost faith, Villa remained focused, forever shuffling side to side and defending with the same urgency.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Go on a street food tour Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The Russians had made a mistake, with Sikharulidze stumbling out of a double axel.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The bass extension reaches down to a rumbling 5Hz, allowing low-frequency detail to be reproduced cleanly rather than boosted artificially.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
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Cellos and basses may be rumbling along on a frighteningly low melody, as the woodwinds are pecking like a riot in a chicken coop, while the high strings are sustaining a cluster of odd, disconcerting notes.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Adding 1/2 cup to your washer drum before loading in dirty laundry will help boost the cleaning properties of your detergent.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
17 Jan. 2026
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Caron added that the crew member involved was reportedly assisting ground staff by loading items as an extra set of hands and may have been left unaccounted for when the doors closed.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tiramisu’s beloved battalion of flavors—milky mascarpone, booze, coffee, and chocolate—fit together perfectly in this wobbly, no-bake dessert mash-up.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Jan. 2026
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The Spanish government’s move came as a surprise to many after a last-minute deal between the ruling Socialist Party and the left-wing Podemos party in exchange for parliamentary support to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wobbly government.—
Renata Brito,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Others utilize passive mechanical structures that are often cumbersome and can’t shift shape in real time.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
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Bleach solutions also work but are more cumbersome and require a several-minute soak time.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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