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

• unwieldily adverb
• unwieldiness noun

Etymology

Origin of unwieldy

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

Example Sentences

With the official attendance tally reaching a new high, some longtime researchers bemoaned how unwieldy the conference had become.

From The Wall Street Journal

With 16 contestants working in pairs, “What’s in the Box?” is at best an unwieldy format.

From The Wall Street Journal

Driscoll has earned praise from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill for his aggressive push to modernize the Army and overhaul the service’s unwieldy procurement program, lawmakers and Senate aides said.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, the ease of stacking up multiple small loans simultaneously can make the overall debt unwieldy, Schulz said, especially for new or financially strained users.

From MarketWatch

Critics say the technology is still too unwieldy to be used for automated cyber attacks.

From BBC

Related Words

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