cumbersome

adjective

cum·​ber·​some ˈkəm-bər-səm 

1

: unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk

a cumbersome package

2

: slow-moving : ponderous

cumbersome administrative procedures

3

dialect : burdensome, troublesome

cumbersomely adverb

cumbersomeness noun

Synonyms

• awkward
• bunglesome
• clumsy
• clunky
• cranky
• cumbrous
• ponderous
• ungainly
• unhandy
• unwieldy

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of cumbersome in a Sentence

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

The application process is cumbersome and time-consuming.

Her expanded job title is really cumbersome.

Recent Examples on the Web

As legal professionals gain increasing authority over AI deployment decisions, new internal stakeholders are introduced, making the organizational process of adopting AI systems more cumbersome. —Nizan Geslevich Packin, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Like so many others, they are left with an impossible choice: involve the criminal justice system — which may be slow, cumbersome and invasive — or do nothing and hope the situation doesn’t escalate. —Eric Gonzalez, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid has a history of being cumbersome for students and families in need of funding for college. —Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025

Doing that as a public company is a bit more cumbersome. —Trevor Clawson, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see cumber entry 1

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

cumbersome

adjective

cum·​ber·​some ˈkəm-bər-səm 

: hard to handle or manage because of size or weight

cumbersomely adverb

cumbersomeness noun