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
Long, ponderous trains snake through at regular intervals.
—
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Too often novels packed with this many ideas sacrifice emotion in favor of mounting a ponderous argument; Norlin instead writes visceral episodes that speak for themselves.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The magic of blasting down a wall of water balanced on a few pounds of Styrofoam doesn’t typically translate to the rectangular page; too many efforts feel pompous, ponderous or preening.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Too often novels packed with this many ideas sacrifice emotion in favor of mounting a ponderous argument; Norlin instead writes visceral episodes that speak for themselves.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Too often novels packed with this many ideas sacrifice emotion in favor of mounting a ponderous argument; Norlin instead writes visceral episodes that speak for themselves.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The magic of blasting down a wall of water balanced on a few pounds of Styrofoam doesn’t typically translate to the rectangular page; too many efforts feel pompous, ponderous or preening.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Too often novels packed with this many ideas sacrifice emotion in favor of mounting a ponderous argument; Norlin instead writes visceral episodes that speak for themselves.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
-
The main reason Jacksonville is so boring, FinanceBuzz found, is that much of its population is thinly scattered across the city.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
-
GoPro has also dropped a white version and a forest green version if black is too boring for you.—
Scott Gilbertson,
Wired News,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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In October 2022, BTS performed a massive free concert, titled Yet to Come, in Busan, South Korea.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
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Salesforce makes its own platform sticker, and your SaaS tool gets access to the massive Salesforce ecosystem.—
Bihag Karnani,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
At times, Alcaraz was almost as clumsy as Federer in his last hurrah here against Hubert Hurkacz in 2021.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
But things get weighed down by a clumsy body-swapping plot and a pairing between Joe and 22 that never fully pays off.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The whales often appear unbothered, turning gently toward swimmers or drifting by in slow, graceful passes.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
5 July 2025
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Now, in the new study, researchers have gathered data that supports the theory that the demise of tropical forests, and their slow recovery, limited carbon sequestration – a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in plants, soils or minerals.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
In October, Mayor Eric Adams spearheaded a heavy police clampdown called Operation Restore Roosevelt, which consisted of more than 200 additional police officers that reduced crime by 29% in the area, Daughtry said.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
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Last year, Speicher conceived a novel way to help teens on the reservation: sharing his love of heavy music.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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The next mayor, like so many of his predecessors, will have to engage in awkward negotiations with politicians in Albany.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Barely a week goes by without some fresh young talent arriving in West London to pose for the media with a Blue jersey and an awkward grin.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Dickinson led off the semifinal game and roped a double off his metal bat that Smith said woke him up from a long, tiring day.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
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After a tiring day walking around the parks, the most relaxing, soothing and healing experience is to sit out on the decks of the treehouse.—
Kissa Castaneda,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Big, cumbersome, and greasy, baking sheets can be a pain to clean and dry off.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
30 June 2025
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Federal law has long given authorities the power to impose such fines, although they were rarely issued until the first Trump administration, and even then only rarely because officials found the process cumbersome.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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