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
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Recent Examples of unwieldy
The software is very limited and unwieldy, though.
—
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
This is an ambitious film that walks up to the edge of being unwieldy, but Mendonça holds it together and delivers something genuinely unique to the film landscape.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
The slow progress of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and the bureaucracy of the African Union shows how ineffective an unwieldy pan-African vision can be.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Sure enough, Ripple Fries became an unwieldy endeavor.
—Bloomberg, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
This is an ambitious film that walks up to the edge of being unwieldy, but Mendonça holds it together and delivers something genuinely unique to the film landscape.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
The slow progress of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and the bureaucracy of the African Union shows how ineffective an unwieldy pan-African vision can be.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Sure enough, Ripple Fries became an unwieldy endeavor.
—Bloomberg, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
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But it’s played sincerely, so the visual contrast just makes the connection feel clumsy, if not outright absurd.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
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McGee meets one of a clumsy TURF intern Pete, who is revealed to be Olivia's 18-year-old son, Matteo (Patrick Keleher) under interrogation.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So Pakistan is already in an awkward position because the Saudis are being attacked.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Lock down the logistics first The fastest way to kill trip momentum is skipping the awkward conversations.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But Thune has been slow to embrace the process, in part because it is viewed as so cumbersome.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
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Certain menu items, though, feel like fan favorites made to wear cumbersome disguises, while entrees outside of the burger don’t always feel as essential as the smaller plates.—
Cesar Hernandez,
San Francisco Chronicle,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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By the way, because Vidal can spare no form of mockery, we are introduced to George Washington as a man who walks with an ungainly waddle.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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And, just like the Cayenne, the Panamera did so in spite of a rather ungainly exterior.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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If a process feels clunky, those advance preparations could give you time to come up with a new way of doing things that works better for everyone.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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Too bad the moment got wasted with such a clunky sketch.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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