unwieldy
Americanadjective
adjective
-
too heavy, large, or awkwardly shaped to be easily handled
-
ungainly; clumsy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unwieldy
First recorded in 1350–1400, unwieldy is from the Middle English word unweldy. See un- 1, wieldy
Explanation
If you see an unwieldy person coming down the aisle of the bus with an unwieldy box, you may want to step aside because that's a double dose of clumsy. It's an awkward person carrying a box that is difficult to manage. Something that is wieldy is easy to control or handle, so something unwieldy is not. However, the un- form of the word is much more common. The base word wieldy has its roots in Old English, meaning "to handle or control" — used usually in reference to a weapon. You would not want an unwieldy person attempting to wield an unwieldy sword!
Vocabulary lists containing unwieldy
The Giver
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Power Prefix: un-
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This Week in Words: September 29 - October 5, 2018
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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:
Over the course of four minutes, the robot fumbled with the towel’s floppy and unwieldy shape as it slowly smoothed out the fabric, located the corners and lined up the edges.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The image is at once hokey and compelling, suggesting in unwieldy terms that the monster Hansen has been chasing is like a Hydra: cut off its head, and it’ll regenerate with two more.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Squeezing the most out of premium cards requires a commitment to juggling the increasingly unwieldy series of perks, points and redemption schedules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
So a pinch of surprising depth proves to be the most unwieldy move when Roth unveils a resonantly nasty surprise for his story’s endgame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Lawrence’s withdrawal from the policy debate also reflected his long- held conviction that science and politics made for an unwieldy mix.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
By last week, 41 nations had joined UNESCO, a body with an unwieldy name and an unwieldier problem: the crisis in world culture.
From Time Magazine Archive
The workingmen looked all the coarser and unwieldier by contrast.
From The Song of Songs by Hermann Sudermann
He came up with the largest, unwieldiest and financially nuttiest proposal in the history of Pasadena Playhouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
