Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective cumbrous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbrous are cumbersome, heavy, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," 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 cumbrous?

The synonyms heavy and cumbrous 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

Where would ponderous be a reasonable alternative to cumbrous?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbrous, ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

In what contexts can weighty take the place of cumbrous?

The meanings of weighty and cumbrous largely overlap; 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 cumbrous 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbrous
Adjective
  • Amazon’s best-selling soup bowls are made with triple-layered glass that even the clumsiest folks may find hard to break.
    Ashley Zlatopolsky, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Okay too many clumsy Star Wars references there, but one thing the report also correctly notes is that this would be a rare development where Star Wars recruits a top A-list actor to star in a film.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • What can expect from that visit and just kind of how awkward will things be now after these comments?
    Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
  • In his defense, the Anti-Defamation League tweeted from X that Musk’s gesture seemed to be an awkward expression of enthusiasm.
    Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • This bag has a subtly vintage silhouette and fits everything without being cumbersome.
    Annie Blackman, Allure, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Innovative Blending: Vintage Cognacs are unusual because the requirements to certify a vintage bottling are cumbersome.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • This often results in shots that are launched with her hands well outside of the vertical cylinder of her body, resulting in her most unwieldy misses.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
  • The leadership shift follows a period of growth and strategic expansion under Cerutti and an unwieldy art market.
    Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The apparent impact is on video, with the ungainly trims placed on the picture demanded by a wide corner a thing of the past on the S25 Utlra.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
  • With two soldiers able to wrestle the ungainly seven foot long M20 into position on its tripod, the mobility of such a lethal system proved to be a game changer.
    Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • 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

Thesaurus Entries Near cumbrous

Cite this Entry

“Cumbrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumbrous. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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