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
At first, playing Tetris with your keyboard fingers while managing Minesweeper with your mouse hand can feel a little unwieldy—a bit like trying to drive a car and cook an omelet at the same time.
—
Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2024
In fact, growing these plants in overly rich soil or fertilizing too often can cause their stems to outgrow their roots and make the plants unwieldy.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024
The result has been a competition that has felt, at times, unwieldy and inelegant and exhausting.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 12 Dec. 2024
Tech stacks have become unwieldy and difficult to justify, both financially and operationally.
—Michael Zuercher, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unwieldy 
Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2024
In fact, growing these plants in overly rich soil or fertilizing too often can cause their stems to outgrow their roots and make the plants unwieldy.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024
The result has been a competition that has felt, at times, unwieldy and inelegant and exhausting.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 12 Dec. 2024
Tech stacks have become unwieldy and difficult to justify, both financially and operationally.
—Michael Zuercher, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
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In a moment when Liston was hurling a clumsy punch and his balance was susceptible, Ali threw what looked like a swiping right graze at his opponent’s head.—
Mikal Gilmore,
Rolling Stone,
17 Jan. 2025
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Even observers who think the outlook for China’s economy is less dire agree that its growth is slowing and will be constrained by structural challenges and a clumsy policymaking process.—
Jude Blanchette,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to Marsden recall the awkward encounter in the clip above.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 Jan. 2025
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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
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This bag has a subtly vintage silhouette and fits everything without being cumbersome.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
24 Jan. 2025
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Innovative Blending: Vintage Cognacs are unusual because the requirements to certify a vintage bottling are cumbersome.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Ditto the period production and costume design, exactingly dingy in each detail from clunky rotary phones to knobbly knitwear, but without a hint of retro-fab nostalgia: If the past is a foreign country, the future, or at least the ’90s, beckons with some promise of home.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2025
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Zion Williamson is worth a discussion (though his fit with the Warriors and next to Draymond Green would be clunky at best), as is Zach Lavine (his teams have won 37 percent of games he’s played in, which seems like a red flag).—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
The Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near unwieldy
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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