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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unwieldy
Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies.
—
Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Weihl is dealing with heady concepts here, and at this crucial point—the project’s de facto mission statement—they’re too unwieldy, pushing her down cryptic dead-end roads.
—Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026
Created by veteran broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, The View hasn't changed much over the past few decades, even if certain hosting combinations have occasionally made the show somewhat unwieldy — often to entertaining effect.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Reducing every tactile input to the same kind of press on a giant touchscreen that dominates the interior of a vehicle feels both tacky and unwieldy.
—Tc Sottek, The Verge, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Weihl is dealing with heady concepts here, and at this crucial point—the project’s de facto mission statement—they’re too unwieldy, pushing her down cryptic dead-end roads.
—Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026
Created by veteran broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, The View hasn't changed much over the past few decades, even if certain hosting combinations have occasionally made the show somewhat unwieldy — often to entertaining effect.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Reducing every tactile input to the same kind of press on a giant touchscreen that dominates the interior of a vehicle feels both tacky and unwieldy.
—Tc Sottek, The Verge, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
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This layout makes the monitor a natural fit for high-traffic environments like banking counters, medical reception desks, and service queues where traditional screen-sharing is often clumsy or compromises privacy.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 June 2026
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The clumsy third inning from the defense didn’t help Tong, who threw 27 pitches in the frame.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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The awkward situation that Thiago is talking about involves receiving the ball with his back to a player who is closing him down at speed from behind.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Almost nine years after their awkward handshake at the 2017 Bastille Day military parade, the two men politely shook hands and expressed their affinity for each other.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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When one party controls virtually every lever of power, the incentive to reform a cumbersome system diminishes.—
Matt Klink,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
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The legislation amended a cumbersome, multi-step process for over-the-counter drugs in an effort to create a more efficient system.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Seydoux tromps through the film with a masculine heaviness — a sense of dysphoria that translates to her character’s ungainly bearing.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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In its back-to-back knottiness, the album takes on an ungainly quality that, deliberate or not, sets up roadblocks to prolonged enjoyment.—
Maxie Younger,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But the process was clunky, took more than three minutes to complete and caused confusion in the stadium and on the pitch.—
Ben Burrows,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
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Unlike clunky acupressure bands or funky glasses, the Essence Essential Oil Nasal Diffusers are surprisingly discreet.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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