Synonyms of ponderous

ponderous

adjective

ˈpän-d(ə-)rəs 

1

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

fell asleep during the ponderous speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• slow
• tiring
• wearying
• stupid
• weary
• dull
• heavy
• old
• dusty
• annoying
• tedious
• dry
• pedestrian
• monotonous
• leaden
• irritating
• stodgy
• tiresome
• uninteresting
• tame
• wearisome
• dreary
• humdrum
• drab
• arid
• jejune
• stuffy
• colorless
• numbing
• mind-numbing
• monochromatic
• stale
• pallid
• exhausting
• ho-hum
• drudging
• flat
• sterile
• prosy
• prosaic
• grey
• spiritless
• irksome
• unimaginative
• jading
• dullish
• barren
• blah
• gray
• blank
• earthbound
• unexciting
• undramatic
• pedantic
• draining
• unspectacular
• soggy
• unsensational
• uneventful
• uninspiring
• inanimate
• unrewarding
• cumbersome
• fatiguing
• aseptic
• bothersome
• plodding
• ordinary
• vapid
• discouraging
• debilitating
• lumbering
• common
• dispiriting
• tepid
• unsurprising
• enervating
• suspenseless
• commonplace
• unexceptional
• pokey
• poky
• demoralizing
• pleasureless
• unnewsworthy
• disheartening
• wearing
• longsome
• enfeebling
• palling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interesting
• intriguing
• involving
• marvellous
• engrossing
• surprising
• wonderful
• riveting
• wondrous
• engaging
• gripping
• marvelous
• spectacular
• absorbing
• astonishing
• amazing
• exciting
• astounding
• amusing
• sensational
• exhilarating
• awesome
• inspiring
• entertaining
• thrilling
• breathtaking
• fabulous
• stimulating
• poignant
• stirring
• rousing
• electrifying
• fascinating
• charming
• moving
• animating
• energizing
• attractive
• alluring
• beguiling
• enthralling
• touching
• enlivening
• enchanting
• invigorating
• entrancing
• rip-roaring
• bewitching
• galvanizing
• eye-opening
• provocative
• hair-raising
• attracting
• suspenseful
• diverting
• tantalizing
• captivating
• mesmerizing
• spellbinding
• arresting

2

as in massive

having great weight

those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants

Synonyms & Similar Words

• massive
• heavy
• weighty
• hefty
• leaden
• voluminous
• bulky
• burdensome
• massy
• outsized
• substantial
• solid
• elephantine
• lumpish
• outsize
• overweight
• top-heavy
• ultraheavy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• weightless
• fluffy
• feathery
• ethereal
• airy
• flimsy
• gossamer
• slight
• insubstantial
• lightweight
• undersized
• undersize
• underweight
• gossamery
• ultralight
• ultralightweight

3

as in clumsy

difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design

lugged a ponderous movie camera all over China

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clumsy
• awkward
• cumbersome
• unwieldy
• cumbrous
• ungainly
• clunky
• heavy
• unhandy
• cranky
• massive
• impractical
• bunglesome
• unmanageable
• bulky
• uncontrollable
• elephantine
• dinosauric
• impracticable
• hulking
• dinosaurian

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• practical
• useful
• functional
• handy
• practicable
• serviceable

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective ponderous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ponderous are cumbersome, cumbrous, heavy, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

How do cumbrous and cumbersome relate to one another, in the sense of ponderous?

Both 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

When could heavy be used to replace ponderous?

The synonyms heavy and ponderous are sometimes interchangeable, but heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

When is it sensible to use weighty instead of ponderous?

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

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ponderous

Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025

Credit to Slot and the players for increasing the tempo of the game since that half with quicker passes and less ponderous buildup. —Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025

What happens to the victims is swept under the rug, but the number of traumatized, law abiding citizens paying a dear price now under that rug is becoming a ponderous digit. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025

Both seasons tackle a wide range of pressing social issues (inequality of wealth, prejudice, capitalism, consumerism) without being ponderous. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!