1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
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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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as in heaviness
the state or quality of being heavy
the sheer ponderousness of each stone of the huge pyramid makes its construction all the more remarkable
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
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
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Adjective
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
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
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No more boring, irrelevant training modules—this is learning at the speed of work.—
Lisa Bodell,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Some of this may happen under cover of darkness, but much of it happens in the open, under cover of arcane technocracy or boring bureaucracy.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In Season 1, Cassian was part of a massive prison break and an insurrection against Imperial forces in his home of Ferrix.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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This year, the Compton Cowboys are headed to Stagecoach, the massive country music festival in Indio.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Imagine being cuddled by long-legged, clumsy poodles.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
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That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The company reaffirmed plans to launch an affordable model in early 2025, but warned the production ramp could be slower than expected.—
Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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Solutions other than the pipeline are also slow and expensive.—
Brett Watson,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Of course the roof provides protection from mid-day rays, but four heavy duty curtains add 360-degree coverage when needed, and can be tied up when not in use.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Compared with the stellar material they are plowed into, the neutrons are extremely dense—providing just the conditions needed for the formation of heavy elements.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Bill Belichick’s daughter-in-law seems none too pleased with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, shading the 24-year-old for her behavior during the Super Bowl winner’s awkward new CBS interview as former Patriots Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski defended Hudson.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
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The situation was made more awkward by the lack of support from anyone else at the table.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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View 6 Images Reading and writing on regular tablets can be tiring for your eyes, which is where E Ink can help.—
Paul Ridden,
New Atlas,
20 Mar. 2025
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Ultimately, many on the internet have identified this week as a particularly tiring one for Black K-pop fans.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the medium term, reliance on AI will diminish our need and motivation to engage in cumbersome independent thought processes, potentially leading to cognitive atrophy in the long run.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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Realizing that the Defense Acquisition Guidebook, which ran to nearly 2,000 pages of rules, was cumbersome and unwieldy, Defense Department leaders launched a massive effort to update it.—
Mara Karlin,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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