adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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bulkinessnoun
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overbulkinessnoun
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overbulkyadjective
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unbulkyadjective
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bulkilyadverb
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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
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The Boy Who Invented TV
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Everything, Everything
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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:
They said Meta may have finally cracked virtually-reality glasses with a lighter and less bulky offering.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
The LNG equipment added weight to the ship, making it harder to meet the demanding cargo carrying requirements without adopting a bulky hull shape, which in turn had an impact on fuel efficiency and speed.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
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
They drove under the Arch and turned east, twenty bulky, quiet-running, barge-like trucks on caterpillar treads, going single file down the deep streets of Erhenrang through the shadows of morning.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Albertans seem “bigger, bulkier, more assertive, more opinionated than other Canadians.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
Luggage in the first half of the 20th century was much weightier and bulkier, designed for people with the means to have helpers carry their luggage for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
It is hoped that the system can be rolled out further and used to offer opportunities to people in areas which it would be impossible to reach with bulkier assessment systems.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2024
It was massive, bulkier than the spirits in the club, and its shimmering darkness seemed to churn endlessly like black lava.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
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
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
For the linemen, the bulkiest of the bunch, the drill was pure agony.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2020
Smith asked Farrell Jones, who would be up for the workout, to wear his bulkiest leather jacket and use an extra-heavy saddle.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
