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

As I wrote in Slate in December, Artemis has an unwieldy architecture and requires some important pieces that don’t yet exist.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

Their stocks traded at lower valuations than their pure-play peers because investors felt the conglomerates were more unwieldy.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

But single-family homes, spread out and each with individual maintenance issues, had been considered unwieldy to manage en masse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

With a vast cast of characters, the novel is at times unwieldy.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

“No cuts,” said Yossarian with a thick, unwieldy tongue.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

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