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as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest fell asleep during the ponderous speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
  • And, actually, representative of the sport in these non-boring ’20s.
    Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Aesha knows a thing or two about Bitcoin, despite finding it a boring topic of conversation — her fiancé, Scott, is into crypto.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The year Goldberg-Polin and her family arrived in Israel, the country launched Operation Cast Lead, a massive military operation aimed at halting intensifying Hamas mortar, missile and rocket fire terrorizing southern Israeli communities.
    Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Roan performs on a set that looks like a massive Gothic castle with a drawbridge, parapets and a throne.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Maggie is a snoop—and a clumsy one.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
  • But the character’s state of servitude is largely hidden in clumsy blocking.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The episodes feel choppy, hardly letting anything land, yet still feeling slow.
    Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The crowd, quietening into a slow clap with the moment building, burst into a celebration.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Maddie—baggy hoodies tossed over an array of old tattoos, clearly carrying a heavy amount of life for her 28 years—gradually attempts to fill her daughter in on her own youth, treading a tightrope between honesty and delicacy.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The area has seen heavy rains at least 20 times since the VRA was executed last year, according to an ABC News analysis of National Weather Service data.
    Maia Rosenfeld, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • That’s six games without a goal now for their new striker, who still looks awkward in this side.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The onion on top is a little awkward to cut and to eat, so think of this as a knife-and-fork cornbread.
    Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The first trimester was always tiring.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • From scrunchies that secretly double as drink covers to zipper clips that stop pickpockets from opening your backpack, these viral finds prove that travel safety doesn’t have to be cumbersome or expensive.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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