1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest fell asleep during the ponderous speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the adjective ponderous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ponderous are cumbersome, cumbrous, heavy, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

How do cumbrous and cumbersome relate to one another, in the sense of ponderous?

Both 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

When could heavy be used to replace ponderous?

The synonyms heavy and ponderous are sometimes interchangeable, but heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

When is it sensible to use weighty instead of ponderous?

In some situations, the words weighty and ponderous are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ponderous Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025 Credit to Slot and the players for increasing the tempo of the game since that half with quicker passes and less ponderous buildup. Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025 What happens to the victims is swept under the rug, but the number of traumatized, law abiding citizens paying a dear price now under that rug is becoming a ponderous digit. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025 Both seasons tackle a wide range of pressing social issues (inequality of wealth, prejudice, capitalism, consumerism) without being ponderous. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
  • Camilla told Newsweek that her husband, Linford, 32, works as a tunnel boring machine operator in London.
    Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
  • These anything but boring side dishes let the bounty of the season shine in new and exciting ways.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In Season 1, Cassian was part of a massive prison break and an insurrection against Imperial forces in his home of Ferrix.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The director can watch in real time and add instantaneous comments, eliminating not just the carbon footprint of shipping and travel, but the energy consumption of continuously rendering and transferring massive files.
    Allison Begalman, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Imagine being cuddled by long-legged, clumsy poodles.
    Brian Mann, NPR, 20 Apr. 2025
  • That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The company reaffirmed plans to launch an affordable model in early 2025, but warned the production ramp could be slower than expected.
    Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Marie Collins, a survivor and safeguarding expert from Ireland who served on the commission in the early years, resigned in frustration at the slow pace of change.
    Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • On Tuesday afternoon, heavy machinery — two yellow excavators — were at work filling buckets of the remains of those homes, dropping them into trucks to be hauled away.
    Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Only problem was, the stars no longer shone, and the smell of impending rain was heavy in the air.
    Thomas Weddle, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Comments A little case of mistaken identity took an awkward turn for Luke Bryan recently.
    Lauren Huff, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • For introverts who might naturally lean toward a prevention focus—fearing rejection or awkward interactions—consciously developing a promotion focus can transform their job search approach.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ultimately, many on the internet have identified this week as a particularly tiring one for Black K-pop fans.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Of course, going from shows to pickleball classes to after-hours jam sessions at B.B. King’s Blues Club can be tiring.
    DeMarco Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the course of his pontificate, Francis contended with conservatives and with a cumbersome bureaucracy practiced in the art of resisting change.
    Randall Balmer, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
  • But deportation — a cumbersome process generally involving an arrest, detention, a removal order from a judge and finally a flight out of the U.S. — can take months or years.
    Alyson Hurt, NPR, 7 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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