1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

unwieldy

adjective

ˌən-ˈwēl-dē How to pronounce unwieldy (audio)
Definition of unwieldynext
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design an unwieldy machine that requires two people to operate it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unwieldy Having one starting pitcher repeat an unwieldy path from a season ago is one thing. — Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026 The shares are down more than 55% this year, and the global auto giant faces mounting pressure for radical action to counter Chinese competition, repair the damage from costly electric-vehicle missteps and prune an unwieldy stable of brands. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 So a pinch of surprising depth proves to be the most unwieldy move when Roth unveils a resonantly nasty surprise for his story’s endgame. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 In contrast, ChatTJB’s responses are unwieldy and unpredictable. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
  1. clumsy
  2. awkward
  3. cumbersome
  4. ungainly
  5. clunky
Adjective
  • Watson is a decade into this league — and quickly playing his way out of it — making the same clumsy mistakes that plagued Shedeur Sanders as a late-round rookie last year.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Such attempts to touch on the highly personal connections people have to Oasis’s music feel clumsy and forced, especially when juxtaposed with the brothers’ rather anonymous comments.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • At least the latter gives you something to do with yourself during the awkward time that was really just meant for wedding party photo opportunities with no thought of the inconvenience to the guests.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Continue reading … -- POLITICS TELLING SILENCE — Socialist mayor's awkward response scrutinized after police chief's nervous glances.
    — , FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of awkward
Adjective
  • 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
  • But the situation remains murky and operations are cumbersome, with rescuers digging by hand.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of cumbersome
Adjective
  • Snow geese are large, ungainly animals, while this puppet one is sleek and white.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Another standout scene features Floyd, who looks like a soft, somewhat ungainly middle-aged man, suddenly getting on a pommel horse and doing something extraordinary.
    — Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of ungainly
Adjective
  • Just two years ago, Fernández, a former economics professor, would’ve blamed Cuba’s clunky bureaucratic system and lack of economic freedoms for any challenges to Cuba’s private sector.
    — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • That gives you plenty of room for some serious multitasking that just isn’t possible, or at the very least is clunky, on a smaller screen.
    — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of clunky

Browse Nearby Words

unwholesome
unwieldy
unwilled
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All