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
Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
With their colossal bodies and ponderous feet, elephants have never struck me as masters of hide-and-seek.
—Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
The song drips with pungent blue notes, but Flack — singing over a jazz combo at a ponderous tempo — finds a way to luxuriate in the melody, bending the lyrics enough to make any fan perk up.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Adjective
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
With their colossal bodies and ponderous feet, elephants have never struck me as masters of hide-and-seek.
—Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
The song drips with pungent blue notes, but Flack — singing over a jazz combo at a ponderous tempo — finds a way to luxuriate in the melody, bending the lyrics enough to make any fan perk up.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
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Belief that your institution is exempt from the hard, functional and often boring parts of the job leads to a slow decline.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Organizations that foster a culture of self-compassion can empower their employees to better navigate stress, maintain their well-being, and - perhaps boring but no less important - adhere to safety protocols.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The massive undersea volcano reaches more than 3,600 feet above the seabed is located 300 miles offshore.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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Comments Getting to the end of Survivor is a massive accomplishment.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Where the real Colin and Emma have trouble getting much further than a clumsy hug after a putt-putt date, some of the acting couples have increased their intimacy levels with breathtaking speed.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 May 2025
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Word's document comparison interface is also clumsy and confusing compared with FineReader's.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Albon asked Williams for information on where Leclerc was likely slow at the restart, looking for a spot to capitalize.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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Life has likely felt a bit nebulous and slow for you in the past year, Cancer.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Terra cotta boxes are attractive but heavy once filled with soil, so these require adequate support to hold their weight.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 May 2025
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After the heavy Clasico defeat at Montjuic that effectively ended the title race, The Athletic reported that Madrid were not ruling out reinforcements (or sales) in other positions too, and that includes midfield.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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There was an awkward overhead in the third game that Sinner couldn’t meet square on.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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But the timing of the Rockies’ decision was awkward.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Of course, all that excitement does get tiring after a while, and the dogs in side B eventually wind down for a brief nap.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
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At-home blowouts are hard; even when armed with the right tutorials and top-of-the-line tools, all the maneuvering gets tiring quickly.—
Kylee McGuigan,
Vogue,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The development partnership, the Vets Collective, relied on tax credit financing, a cumbersome process that not only can add years to a project but also only funds housing.—
Doug Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
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My cumbersome climbing gear rests, along with everyone else’s, on a tarp.—
Michael Ray Taylor,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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