cumbrous

adjective

cum·​brous ˈkəm-b(ə-)rəs 

: cumbersome

cumbrously adverb

cumbrousness noun

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for cumbrous

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 cumbrous in a Sentence

it took two people to haul the cumbrous machine into the garage

Recent Examples on the Web

There were three good reasons to abandon the Clean Power Plan, and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt cited two of them in his decision, announced Monday, to rescind the cumbrous carbon dioxide rule. —The Editors, National Review, 9 Oct. 2017

The Road Home Program, a state program supposed to help rebuild, was cumbrous and slow, and grants often didn’t cover the cost of repairs. —Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2017

The ordinary secular mode of divorce in India is, like any other Indian legal proceeding, rather more cumbrous. —Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cumbrous

adjective

cum·​brous ˈkəm-b(ə-)rəs 

: cumbersome

cumbrously adverb