CUMBROUS Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'cumbrous' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbrous are cumbersome , heavy , ponderous , and weighty . While all these words mean "having great weight," cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating. // wrestled with the cumbrous furniture // early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

Q: When could 'heavy' be used to replace 'cumbrous'?

The synonyms heavy and cumbrous are sometimes interchangeable, but heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class. // a heavy child for his age

Q: Where would 'ponderous' be a reasonable alternative to 'cumbrous'?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbrous , ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia. // ponderous elephants in a circus parade

Q: In what contexts can 'weighty' take the place of 'cumbrous'?

The meanings of weighty and cumbrous largely overlap; however, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight. // a load of weighty boxes

cumbrous

adjective

ˈkəm-b(ə-)rəs

Definition of cumbrous

as in clumsy

difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design it took two people to haul the cumbrous machine into the garage

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How does the adjective cumbrous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cumbrous are cumbersome, heavy, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating.

wrestled with the cumbrous furniture

early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

When could heavy be used to replace cumbrous?

The synonyms heavy and cumbrous are sometimes interchangeable, but heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

Where would ponderous be a reasonable alternative to cumbrous?

While in some cases nearly identical to cumbrous, ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

In what contexts can weighty take the place of cumbrous?

The meanings of weighty and cumbrous largely overlap; however, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cumbrous Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies. — Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026 There were three good reasons to abandon the Clean Power Plan, and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt cited two of them in his decision, announced Monday, to rescind the cumbrous carbon dioxide rule. — The Editors, National Review, 9 Oct. 2017 The Road Home Program, a state program supposed to help rebuild, was cumbrous and slow, and grants often didn’t cover the cost of repairs. — Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumbrous

Adjective

Here, his clumsy, winky, affected, and self-undercutting direction can’t even work the charming Jenna Ortega to a great performance, as her Klara is flattened into a bundle of manic pixie mannerisms both physical and verbal.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
Some Latinas are nerds, and some Latinas are quirky, and some of them are goofy and some of them are clumsy.

— Johanna Ferreira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of clumsy

Adjective

The Basketmaker—whose skills go far beyond furniture making—weaves her a match, Fiddler on the Roof-like, and the Fisherwoman, after an awkward matrimonial moment, takes Wicker Husband home to her funky little cottage.

— Valerie Monroe, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026
The pushback is awkward for a government that went out of its way to land the project.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of awkward

Adjective

Enter the fast-growing world of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, known by the somewhat cumbersome acronym of eVTOLs.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Less cumbersome portable hifi listening Accessibility Innovations improving life for the elderly and people with disabilities.

— Time, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cumbersome

Adjective

Baseball rosters are large and unwieldy; the margins between success and failure are slim and hard to control for.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
The exec was brought in to rein in filmmaker spending and streamline Netflix’s notoriously unwieldy film operation.

— Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of unwieldy

Adjective

Snow geese are large, ungainly animals, while this puppet one is sleek and white.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
Another standout scene features Floyd, who looks like a soft, somewhat ungainly middle-aged man, suddenly getting on a pommel horse and doing something extraordinary.

— Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of ungainly

Adjective

In one of the side plots to The Lord of the Rings, two of the Hobbits attempt to rouse Treebeard—a wise but ponderous sentient tree—to defend his forest from an army that is cutting it down.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
The bass kept boring doggedly toward shore, lunging and vaulting into the air in ponderous leaps.

— Ted Janes, Outdoor Life, 21 May 2026

Definition of ponderous

Cite this Entry

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“Cumbrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumbrous. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cumbrous

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