ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Cumbersome

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈkʌmbəsəm/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Cumbersome is an adjective meaning Burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious.

Meaning

Burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious.

More Meanings

  1. Not easily managed or handled; awkward; clumsy.
  2. Hard, difficult, demanding to handle or get around with.
  3. Inert, lumbering, slow in movement.

Example Sentences

Cumbersome machines can endanger operators and slow down production.
A slave’s work was as cumbersome as toiling on the fields, or in the mines.
The full title of the unified system, the South Eastern & London, Chatham & Dover Railways, was decidedly cumbersome, and for the sake of convenience was shortened to the South Eastern & Chatham Railway.
"You can throw off your cumbersome disguise here," said Lucy, though the words could scarcely be distinguished, from her excessive agitation, Evelyn hastily caught up a cloak and cap laid ready for him, and a few minutes brought them into the sitting-room.

Synonyms for cumbersome

Depending on context, synonyms include cumbrous, lumpish, unwieldy, inept, infelicitous, awkward.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include cumbrous, clumsy, unwieldy, awkward, infelicitous, inept.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.