cumbersome

[kuhm-ber-suhm]

adjective

1. burdensome; troublesome.

   Synonyms: onerous, weighty, heavy

2. unwieldy; clumsy.

   Synonyms: awkward

cumbersome

/ ˈkʌmbəsəm, ˈkʌmbrəs /

adjective

1. awkward because of size, weight, or shape

   cumbersome baggage

2. difficult because of extent or complexity

   cumbersome accounts

Other Word Forms

• cumbersomely adverb
• cumbersomeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cumbersome¹

First recorded in 1325–75, cumbersome is from the Middle English word cummyrsum. See cumber, -some ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cumbersome¹

C14: cumber , short for _encumber + _-some ¹

Example Sentences

It was hard to see things clearly, and their range of motion was severely hampered by the cumbersome costumes.

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As powerful as the cumbersome vessel was, it was not the easiest ship to steer, which made it dangerous to operate in such a windy site so close to shore.

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Brands must not only overcome high customs duties, a cumbersome bureaucracy and infrastructure limitations, but also must compete with a robust domestic luxury market.

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The interface was text-based and cumbersome, but the brothers loved experimenting, writing simple programs and using spreadsheets to track side projects like a sports-card-trading business.

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Critics argue it’s cumbersome, because police have to initiate the process and take the person into custody for mental-health evaluation.

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Related Words

• bulky 
• burdensome 
• embarrassing www.thesaurus.com
• heavy 
• inconvenient 
• ponderous 
• tiresome 
• unwieldy