bulky

adjective

ˈbəl-kē 

 also  ˈbu̇l-

bulkier; bulkiest

1

a

: having bulk

b(1)

: large of its kind

(2)

: corpulent

2

: having great volume in proportion to weight

a bulky knit sweater

bulkily

ˈbəl-kə-lē 

adverb

bulkiness

ˈbəl-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• big
• biggish
• boxcar
• considerable
• goodly
• grand
• great
• handsome
• hefty
• hulking
• husky
• large
• largish
• outsize
• outsized
• oversize
• oversized
• sizable
• sizeable
• substantial
• tidy
• voluminous

Examples of bulky in a Sentence

a big, bulky football player

bulky packages might cost more to mail

Recent Examples on the Web

Joella was voted in the bottom alongside Kori King, and due to a combination of her bulky, inflexible outfit and her not knowing the words to the lip sync song, she was asked to sashay away. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025

Winter trips can be doozies to begin with thanks to all the bulky clothes and outerwear, and testing ski products adds pounds of belongings to my packing list. —Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 24 Jan. 2025

Overall, the Mueller was bulky and didn’t perform as well as our winners. —Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 23 Jan. 2025

Our tester particularly appreciated that there’s thinner material between the fingers to keep them from feeling too bulky. —Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

bulky

adjective

ˈbəl-kē 

bulkier; bulkiest

1

: large in size or mass

2

: being large and hard to handle

bulkiness noun