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
One thing German writer-director Tom Tykwer has never lacked is ambition, evidenced by his willingness to tackle sprawling, thematically unwieldy literary source material like Cloud Atlas and A Hologram for the King.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
While most look for ways to avoid the steady rain falling from atmospheric rivers, some take advantage of the unwieldy weather patterns to improve forecasts and to help control, and ultimately modernize, the complex labyrinth of waterways hydrating California.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2025
In modern cars that handle increasingly complex tasks, those domains have led to redundant connections from power sources to electronic control units (ECUs), and an unwieldy octopus of wiring that stretches to all four corners of the vehicle.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2025
Both situations feature an unwieldy acronym, and both are treated with equal gravity.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
While most look for ways to avoid the steady rain falling from atmospheric rivers, some take advantage of the unwieldy weather patterns to improve forecasts and to help control, and ultimately modernize, the complex labyrinth of waterways hydrating California.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2025
In modern cars that handle increasingly complex tasks, those domains have led to redundant connections from power sources to electronic control units (ECUs), and an unwieldy octopus of wiring that stretches to all four corners of the vehicle.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2025
Both situations feature an unwieldy acronym, and both are treated with equal gravity.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
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The character first appears in the franchise’s original film Scream (1996) as the older brother of Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and the clumsy police deputy trying to help solve the murders in their town of Woodsboro.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
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Aviles’ dismissal, for a clumsy challenge on the edge of the penalty area, seemed set to turn the game.—
Martin Rogers,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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However, whether the friendship will survive the awkward gift exchange remains to be seen.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
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When Anne Hathaway co-hosted the ceremony with James Franco in 2012, it was widely panned as the Academy's awkward attempt to attract younger viewers.—
Lucia Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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These methods work for a coin or two, but would be cumbersome for large deals.—
Dave Birnbaum,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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But now many have become reliant on the practice, especially in rural areas where getting to a medical facility can take longer and be more cumbersome for seniors.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Examples imported from 1975 through 1985 had rather ungainly impact bumpers, so early, chrome-bumper cars are aesthetically more desirable.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
21 Feb. 2025
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You're locked into an ungainly, spread armed, weak kneed Character: snowplow.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Many companies assume all technology solutions will integrate seamlessly, only to realize too late that a vendor’s API is clunky, support is weak or scalability is an issue.—
Karan Jain,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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The pizza guy Consider the outrage that is the federal employee retirement system, a clunky program that Musk recently highlighted.—
Zeynep Tufekci,
The Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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