adjective
-
awkward because of size, weight, or shape
cumbersome baggage
-
difficult because of extent or complexity
cumbersome accounts
Other Word Forms
- cumbersomely adverb
- cumbersomeness noun
Etymology
Origin of cumbersome
First recorded in 1325–75, cumbersome is from the Middle English word cummyrsum. See cumber, -some 1
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.
Unilateral action can be rationalized as acting because it is too cumbersome to mobilize allies whose interests do not align with one’s own.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
In more recent decades, Israel lost that offensive edge, and the army was forced into cumbersome urban warfare.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
This was expensive, cumbersome, and incurred many internal costs.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
Shaffer succeeds in this regard, but the wordy play grows cumbersome in its final explanatory stages.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
He was bright as hell, and full of lore, but he wasn’t burdened down with any of the cumbersome luggage of a too formal education.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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.
