adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
bulkinessnoun
-
overbulkinessnoun
-
overbulkyadjective
-
unbulkyadjective
-
bulkilyadverb
-
overbulkilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of bulky
Explanation
A giant box you need to carry to the post office, clothes you wear in the snow — both of these things are bulky or large and difficult to deal with. Inside the word bulky you see the word bulk which refers to the size of something, usually something large. When something is bulky, it has a lot of size or heft, though it is not necessarily heavy. Pillows, for example, are bulky. It's just big in an inconvenient way. Thick yarn, or a sweater made from thick yarn, is also said to be bulky. It's thicker than your average yarn.
Vocabulary lists containing bulky
Fish in a Tree
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Boy Who Invented TV
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Everything, Everything
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She told me that mosquito populations spiked in areas with more human-made mosquito habitat, such as abandoned buildings, unkempt vacant lots, and piles of discarded bulky items.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Snap is making the counterargument: Users will want extra capabilities so much that they’ll overcome their reluctance to wear those bulky frames.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
For the category to be successful, AR glasses need to be less bulky, do more, put fashion first, and be cheaper.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Leamington's 'Library Of Things' opened earlier this year to let people borrow everyday items that might be too expensive or too bulky to buy and keep.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Their robes were bulky, and clearly loaded down with all nature of weaponry sheathed within the folds.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Like skinny jeans, they eventually became unavoidable — and thus a bit stale, giving way to looser fits and bulkier “dad” sneakers.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
In a non-polar solvent like methylcyclohexane, chlorophyll derivatives with smaller second-generation dendrons were stacked into helical fibers, while those with bulkier, third-generation dendrons remained in smaller, disc-shaped aggregates.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024
And they could be selectively bred, producing larger fruits and seeds and bulkier muscles to eat.
From Salon ● May 6, 2024
"When you are out for such a long time, you do more gym work so Kevin de Bruyne does look a bit bulkier," he said.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2024
A turtle turned up, a different kind this time, a green sea turtle, bulkier and smoother-shelled, but curious in the same fixed way as a hawksbill.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
The bulkiest and most elaborate productions typically require the space offered by an opera house's main theater, and operas often do provide spectacle on a grand scale.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2024
The best and bulkiest: Fat Bear Week is in full swing.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
Only the biggest, bulkiest planets are sizable enough to benefit from this effect.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 23, 2022
The bulkiest items catch your eye first - suitcases, jackets and an array of musical instruments.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2022
The full moon shines on the bulkiest lump.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
