1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in massive
having great weight
those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants
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3
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
lugged a ponderous movie camera all over China
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
Much of the show is given to ponderous historical segues.
—
Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
There’s no long-winded exposition, no ponderous articulation of the themes, and no punches pulled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Yes, Invasion has received mixed reviews for its ponderous pacing (especially in the first season).
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
This year’s popular new music has been decidedly downbeat, with ballads and ponderous country songs topping the charts, Errico said.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
There’s no long-winded exposition, no ponderous articulation of the themes, and no punches pulled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Yes, Invasion has received mixed reviews for its ponderous pacing (especially in the first season).
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
This year’s popular new music has been decidedly downbeat, with ballads and ponderous country songs topping the charts, Errico said.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
-
Anyone who suggests Guardiola’s title-winning Manchester City teams were boring should be forced to watch 90 minutes of Mourinho’s Chelsea versus Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in the mid-2000s and report back.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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The details might be boring, but the gathering of money—searching gem dealers, gold dealers—was a full-time job.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Red Ghost was said to be a massive, red-haired camel with a skeletal rider strapped to its back.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Relying solely on Amazon’s admittedly massive reach would be both a lifeline and a painful concession.—
Mara Weinraub,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Arturs Silovs looked a bit clumsy in the first period and his rebound control was less than stellar.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Actually, Alma does suffer from ulcers, which cause her extraordinary stomach pain and vomiting at inconvenient moments, and cause viewers to wonder not if but when such clumsy symbolic traits will be trotted out in the future.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Audition is a slow burn, spending the better part of two hours setting up audiences for arguably one of the most graphic climaxes in horror history.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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Tai chi is a form of exercise that involves slow, gentle movements and balancing poses.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But more psychologists and mental health practitioners are working to address the ways the disease—with its constant demands to manage insulin and blood glucose levels—takes a heavy toll on the mind.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
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Separating a single photon has been described as a feat equivalent to differentiating between the sound of a single grain of sand falling while heavy rains and lightning strikes occur.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In all of the courses, the pedagogy is an awkward pastiche of traditions, combining Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Slavic paganism, Siberian shamanism, and Asian spiritual practices, spiked with elements of Jungian and American pop psychology.—
Julia Ioffe,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Pignato shared a scene from a recent consult with a rival company that wanted advice on how to bring AI into its engineering workflow, and an awkward generational mismatch.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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With the departure of disgraced co-creator Justin Roiland after the third season, the show has been steadily improving in quality, with a tremendous cast and some very funny done-in-one episodes that don't have the sometimes tiring cynicism of R&M.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Oct. 2025
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However, some Republicans have spoken out against her and recently reported that some administration officials are tiring of her, suggesting her influence is not unbridled.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Like the cumbersome, omnipresent sheriff's duty belt, complete with handgun, handcuffs and the works.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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The results are incredibly detailed, although the accessory is cumbersome.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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