CUMBERSOME Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'cumbersome' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbersome are cumbrous , heavy , ponderous , and weighty . While all these words mean "having great weight," cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating. // wrestled with the cumbrous furniture // early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

Q: Where would 'heavy' be a reasonable alternative to 'cumbersome'?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbersome , heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class. // a heavy child for his age

Q: When can 'ponderous' be used instead of 'cumbersome'?

The words ponderous and cumbersome can be used in similar contexts, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia. // ponderous elephants in a circus parade

Q: When might 'weighty' be a better fit than 'cumbersome'?

In some situations, the words weighty and cumbersome are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight. // a load of weighty boxes

cumbersome

adjective

ˈkəm-bər-səm

Definition of cumbersome next

as in clumsy

difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design a long-handled wrench that is too cumbersome for tight spots, such as under the sink

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How does the adjective cumbersome differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbersome are cumbrous, heavy, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating.

wrestled with the cumbrous furniture

early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

Where would heavy be a reasonable alternative to cumbersome?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbersome, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

When can ponderous be used instead of cumbersome?

The words ponderous and cumbersome can be used in similar contexts, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

When might weighty be a better fit than cumbersome?

In some situations, the words weighty and cumbersome are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Examples 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 cumbersome There is a stronger case to be made that the existing Senate confirmation system, even with McConnell’s 2019 reforms, is too cumbersome to timely staff a new presidential administration at the sub-cabinet level. —

The Editors, National Review, 22 Nov. 2024 The best security updates, however, are the ones that make usability easier rather than more cumbersome. —

Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 Those rules imposed by Legislature have made getting a proposal on the ballot more expensive and cumbersome, requiring supporters to raise millions of dollars to hire professional firms to gather signatures because of the increasingly complex process. —

Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024 This signals a more a hands-off approach, which should help allay private-sector worries about cumbersome guardrails. —

Colin Demarest, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cumbersome

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbersome

Adjective

Far from prolific in front of goal, the Senegalese looked out of sorts, full of running and hunger to score but clumsy, his anxious limbs snatching at chances rather than taking them naturally.

Henry Flynn, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
The first few episodes were rife with clumsy and, at times, confusing time jumps, many that seemed tacked on to preexisting scenes in an effort to retrofit them for a new, Costner-less reality.

Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2024