as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
an unwieldy machine that requires two people to operate it
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Recent Examples of unwieldy
Using tech features, navigating general functions and using the sound system is unwieldy.
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James Raia, The Mercury News, 6 Oct. 2024
Previous iterations of this biennial also presented Toronto as the locus of histories of faraway places but, with the world building grown unwieldy, inadequately explained why these stories belong together.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2024
In less capable hands, mapping a story that becomes more involved, spans geographies and timespans, and takes in ever more characters and arcs could make for an unwieldy production, and an overwhelming experience for the viewer.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
Melisa Rollins Finally Won the Race That Shaped Her Pro Cycling Career
Organizers have cited this unwieldy event format in the past as a key reason not to include women—there simply wasn’t enough time to get all the competitors down safely, in a good weather window.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unwieldy 
James Raia, The Mercury News, 6 Oct. 2024
Previous iterations of this biennial also presented Toronto as the locus of histories of faraway places but, with the world building grown unwieldy, inadequately explained why these stories belong together.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2024
In less capable hands, mapping a story that becomes more involved, spans geographies and timespans, and takes in ever more characters and arcs could make for an unwieldy production, and an overwhelming experience for the viewer.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
Melisa Rollins Finally Won the Race That Shaped Her Pro Cycling Career
Organizers have cited this unwieldy event format in the past as a key reason not to include women—there simply wasn’t enough time to get all the competitors down safely, in a good weather window.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
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Where Huang’s wardrobe for Oz emphasizes his position as a clumsy social climber, aspiring to classic mafia masculinity but too crass to fit in with the old-money elite, Sofia represents a different kind of outsider.Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
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Jessica Carter Altman always thought of herself as clumsy.Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Jennings read the clue with a slightly awkward tone, then immediately apologized to Heather after it was answered.Gabriella Rudy, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
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Krieps, playing Jill possessed by Elizabeth, gets slighter colder, more rigid, and more awkward.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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What to Consider The zipper doesn’t run the length of the sleeping bag, which helps with heat retention but makes getting in and out a bit more cumbersome.Kevin Brouillard, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2024
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The more cumbersome way is for whoever is doing the filing to accumulate all HOA director's and officer's addresses and images of their identifying documents (again, driver's license or passport) and manually enter it.Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Series 2 cars, built through 1971, made concessions to U.S. safety regulations, and the Series 3 cars, available as a convertible and an ungainly 2+2, were powered by a 5.3-liter V12 engine.Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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From the lack of an audience, to the clunky, uncomfortable, and prohibitively expensive VR hardware, or the lack of interoperability, the promise of the metaverse from 2021 simply isn’t holding true in 2024.Webb Wright, WIRED, 7 Oct. 2024
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Some of it is a bit clunky in that ‘80s TV way, but Shatner makes the terror of his own trauma feel palpable, and the images of demonic children on a lonely playground has visceral power.Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unwieldy
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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