unwieldy

American  

[uhn-weel-dee] / ʌnˈwil di /

Or unwieldly

adjective

unwieldier, unwieldiest

1. not wieldy; wielded with difficulty; not readily handled or managed in use or action, as from size, shape, or weight; awkward; ungainly.

   Synonyms:

   clumsy, unmanageable, bulky

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unwieldy British  

/ ʌnˈwiːldɪ /

adjective

1. too heavy, large, or awkwardly shaped to be easily handled

2. ungainly; clumsy

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Other Word Forms

• unwieldiness
  noun
• unwieldily
  adverb

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unwieldy unwieldier unwieldiest

And for those who see that as a challenge, well, “Chronovisor” would ask you to consider why a fair but not unwieldy amount of reading would be considered a barrier to entry.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

But its compact winding of typically unwieldy hunting-horn hoops allows the instrument to be tucked under the arm for easy portability outdoors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

"No long and unwieldy constitutional amendment is necessary," he said.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Both risks are being actively managed by CEO Larry Culp, who arrived at GE in 2018 and is credited with turning the unwieldy American industrial conglomerate around.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

I stop still, watching her running figure with the coat flying out on either side and the unwieldy overshoes, as if she’s just some other person I’m watching, someone in a race.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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

Related Words

• burdensome
• clumsy
• cumbersome
• inconvenient
• massive
• onerous
• ponderous
• ungainly
• unmanageable