1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in massive
having great weight
those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
lugged a ponderous movie camera all over China
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
And when the outcome is slow, ponderous and predictable, the risk to set up in that shape becomes even less worth taking.
—
Thom Harris, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
With their colossal bodies and ponderous feet, elephants have never struck me as masters of hide-and-seek.
—Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
The song drips with pungent blue notes, but Flack — singing over a jazz combo at a ponderous tempo — finds a way to luxuriate in the melody, bending the lyrics enough to make any fan perk up.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Thom Harris, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
With their colossal bodies and ponderous feet, elephants have never struck me as masters of hide-and-seek.
—Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
The song drips with pungent blue notes, but Flack — singing over a jazz combo at a ponderous tempo — finds a way to luxuriate in the melody, bending the lyrics enough to make any fan perk up.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
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Camilla told Newsweek that her husband, Linford, 32, works as a tunnel boring machine operator in London.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Take it from this guy, who bought the beautiful Starfield limited-edition Xbox controller, headset, and console wrap for over $200, only to play the game and dump it after 20 boring hours.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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May is the first month where the adjustments are seeing massive swings.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Apr. 2025
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There was a feeling that the country was coming out of a massive crisis and that global institutions had a responsibility to help rebuild the country, strengthen its healthcare system, and make sure an outbreak like this could never happen again.—
The Dial,
The Dial,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Raw also advertised Bayley challenging Lyra Valkyria for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship, Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio and the world’s most clumsy GM Adam Pearce making his next fumble of the worst storyline going this WrestleMania season between Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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This is why the Trump administration’s DOGE exercise — while clumsy at times — is such an important endeavor despite Democratic efforts to discredit it.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The building Celine now occupies what used to be a slow pop-up for Dior and Loro Piana.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Of the slow, unsexy work of loving someone even in the worst times.—
Ruhama Wolle,
Glamour,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Michelle Williams truly showed how to remain graceful under pressure this weekend as she was put in an awkward situation mid-air.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Those who tried—in good faith or not—to come up with such a plan for Shoreham had to contend with Long Island’s awkward geography.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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