PONDEROUS Synonyms: 206 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

ponderous

adjective

ˈpän-d(ə-)rəs

Definition of ponderous

as in boring

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in massive

having great weight those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 The Government Accountability Office documented the ongoing problem in a recent report, which noted that controller attrition and the agency’s ponderous hiring procedures contribute to the long-term problem. — Colleen Mondor, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 Attacking patterns are centralised around Rogers, yet the recent ponderous tempo has impeded quick passes into his feet. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026 Group plans can align when the feelings-led Moon in your social zone opposes ponderous Jupiter in your upbeat 5th house. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2026 There is the ponderous march of normalcy and daily life. — Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ponderous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous

Adjective

Virtually all those trips involved hassle that was a bore to write about and just as boring to read.

— Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Seattle Seahawks 31-7 in a disappointing and boring game.

— Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of boring

Adjective

After a handful of ownership changes throughout the decades, the hotel underwent a massive renovation and reopened in December 2023 as the Mandarin Oriental Savoy.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
The chain had blamed the decline on launching too many promotions, plus inadequate customer service and its massive World Cup promotion failing to attract eaters.

— Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of massive

Adjective

Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
The residents of Mossy Bottom Farm are looking forward to Halloween – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the Flock’s beloved pumpkin patch.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of clumsy

Adjective

The slowest can count roughly 500 bills a minute, or about eight bills a second, while the fastest can count 2,000-plus bills a minute, or about 33-plus bills a second.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Heading south on Highway 395, a must do is slow down and take the June Lake Loop which is a riot of fall colors.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of slow

Adjective

While the ceasefire halted the heaviest fighting and humanitarian conditions have improved, the Israeli military has expanded its control of Gaza and now occupies some 60% of the territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
The companies are working to bring advanced Integral Molten Salt Reactor technology to heavy industrial facilities and fast-growing artificial intelligence data centers.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of heavy

Adjective

Creating the pipeline Although skilled chip workers are concentrated overseas, bringing over foreign talent on H-1B visas has become a costly and cumbersome process.

— Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
The 2019 Speedster followed in a long line of roofless performers dating back to the earliest days of the company, but that machine made do with a cumbersome fabric top that took minutes to manually attach.

— Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of cumbersome

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“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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