cumbersome

adjective cum·ber·some \ˈkəm-bər-səm\

: hard to handle or manage because of size or weight

: complicated and hard to do

: long and difficult to read, say, etc.

Full Definition of CUMBERSOME

dial : burdensome, troublesome

: unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk

: slow-moving : ponderous

— cum·ber·some·ly adverb

— cum·ber·some·ness noun

See cumbersome defined for English-language learners

See cumbersome defined for kids

Examples of CUMBERSOME

Squad members, already decked out in cumbersome chemical suits, put on masks and rubber gloves. —Ray Wilkinson, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 1991
He got the approval of the higher-ups, but the course was scuttled by members of his own department, who devised all kinds of cumbersome, silly requirements and prerequisites. —Alice Munro, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 1989
He cut some segments of the 2" pine but discovered that … a cumbersome system of braces would be needed to hold the sides straight. —John Updike, Couples, 1968
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Origin of CUMBERSOME

(see ¹cumber)

First Known Use: 1535

Related to CUMBERSOME

Synonyms: awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, clunky, cranky, cumbrous, ponderous, ungainly, unhandy, unwieldy

Antonyms: handy

Synonym Discussion of CUMBERSOME

heavy, weighty, ponderous, cumbrous, cumbersome mean having great weight. heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class <a heavy child for his age>. weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight <a load of weighty boxes>. ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia <ponderous elephants in a circus parade>. 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>.

CUMBERSOME Defined for Kids