ponderous

[ pon-der-uhs ]
/ ˈpɒn dər əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ponderous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of great weight; heavy; massive.
awkward or unwieldy: He carried a ponderous burden on his back.
dull and labored: a ponderous dissertation.

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Origin of ponderous

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ponderos, pondereuse) < Latin ponderōsus. See ponder, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM ponderous

Words nearby ponderous

pond-apple, pond-skater, ponder, ponderable, ponderosa pine, ponderous, pondicherry, pondo, pondok, pondoland, pondweed
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ponderous

bulky, clumsy, weighty, awkward, unwieldy, monotonous, stodgy, stuffy, labored, stilted, plodding, burdensome, dull, elephantine, graceless, hefty, huge, laborious, lifeless, lumbering

Example sentences from the Web for ponderous

British Dictionary definitions for ponderous

ponderous
/ (ˈpɒndərəs) /

adjective

of great weight; heavy; huge
(esp of movement) lacking ease or lightness; awkward, lumbering, or graceless
dull or laboriousa ponderous oration

Derived forms of ponderous

ponderously, adverbponderousness or ponderosity (ˌpɒndəˈrɒsɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for ponderous

C14: from Latin ponderōsus of great weight, from pondus weight
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012