unwieldy

or un·wield·ly

[uhn-weel-dee]

See more synonyms for unwieldy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, un·wield·i·er, un·wield·i·est.

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

Origin of unwieldy

First recorded in 1350–1400, unwieldy is from the Middle English word unweldy. See un-¹, wieldy

Related formsun·wield·i·ly, adverbun·wield·i·ness, noun

Synonyms for unwieldy

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bulky, unmanageable, clumsy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for unwieldy

ungainly, onerous, ponderous, clumsy, burdensome, massive, unmanageable, cumbersome, inconvenient, gross, hefty, lumbering, uncontrollable, weighty, cumbrous, encumbering, unhandy

Examples from the Web for unwieldy

Contemporary Examples of unwieldy

But any biographer of the novel faces a problem more fundamental than compressing between two covers a vast and unwieldy subject.
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014
Lachs writes with clarity and concision—admirable concision, considering how unwieldy university press offerings tend to be.
America’s Meddlers Are Our Worst Enemies
Stefan Beck
October 3, 2014
Unwieldy trash piles or not, the coming treasure hunts are sure to be interesting ones.
As Japan’s Tsunami Debris Arrives, Can U.S. West Coast Handle It?
Winston Ross
September 7, 2012
But if we only rewarded consistency, the list would be unwieldy, fixed, and dull.
America’s Top 50 Rabbis for 2012
Abigail Pogrebin
April 2, 2012
So how did this unwieldy collection wind up looking like, well, disorganized Democrats?
For Presidential Hopefuls, a Game of Posturing and Positioning
Howard Kurtz
February 21, 2011

Historical Examples of unwieldy

Then he could with ease place the huge and unwieldy galleon at his mercy.
Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer
Cyrus Townsend Brady
His hands, very swollen, with knotted veins, looked enormous and unwieldy.
A Set of Six
Joseph Conrad
There was nothing to do but steer the unwieldy craft with the current.
The Story of Young Abraham Lincoln
Wayne Whipple
The body has then become too unwieldy for that which animates it.
The Best of the World's Classics, Vol. V (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland III
Various
He was heavy-set and unwieldy, and he wore a wrinkled suit of butternut jeans.
Oh, You Tex!
William Macleod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for unwieldy

unwieldy

unwieldly

adjective

too heavy, large, or awkwardly shaped to be easily handled
ungainly; clumsy

Derived Formsunwieldily or unwieldlily, adverbunwieldiness or unwieldliness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for unwieldy

adj.

late 14c., "lacking strength," from un- (1) "not" + Old English wielde "active, vigorous," from Proto-Germanic *walth- "have power" (see wield). Meaning "moving ungracefully" is recorded from 1520s; in reference to weapons, "difficult to handle, awkward by virtue of size or shape" it is attested from 1540s.