cumbersome
22
6.7
- adjective
- /ˈkʌmbərsəm/
:
voluminoso
- However, the case-by-case analysis is both administratively cumbersome and difficult to predict.
- cumbersome process
- cumbersome bureaucracies
- cumbersome procedures
They grow into these just massive kind of cumbersome plants.
- They grow into these just massive kind of cumbersome plants.
- And, and to be fair, Instagram is much less cumbersome than Facebook.
- The EU must be able to act with the speed and flexibility of a network, not the cumbersome rigidity of a block.
- Like shout out, you guys are doing the Lord's work because it is not easy, heavy and cumbersome.
- The best you can do really is to sort people onto lists, but this is cumbersome and solves only some aspects of the sorting problem.
- And we then switched to HCG, which we used to use sometimes instead of Clomid, but it's more cumbersome to work with.
Examples
-
We had never used it because it was much more cumbersome than candles.
Fiction book (1990) -
Bertie needed a hearing aid, but it was too cumbersome for her to wear.
Fiction book (2000) -
And, and to be fair, Instagram is much less cumbersome than Facebook.
-
In practice, this can be very cumbersome, and compliance is a major challenge.
Academic text (1997) -
Implementation was generally smooth for a new program and was less cumbersome than staff had anticipated.
Academic text (2011) -
The EU must be able to act with the speed and flexibility of a network, not the cumbersome rigidity of a block.
-
Previous methods for gene editing were cumbersome, inexact, expensive, or all three.
Academic text (2017) -
Previously, creating videos was a time-consuming, cumbersome process requiring expensive specialized equipment and training.
Academic text (2015) -
I passed her the salad bowl, a cumbersome crystal thing we'd gotten as a wedding gift.
Fiction book (1998) -
Carrying the cumbersome suitcase up the stairs proved to be a real challenge.
Synonyms
812
1.0
A thing that has a lot of weight and is hard to lift
71
2.5
Hard to move because of its size or shape
35
2.3
Large and taking up a lot of space, like a big coat or suitcase
16
6.7
Hard to move because it is large, heavy, or oddly shaped
16
5.5
Something awkward and heavy in movement or design that is hard to use
12
2.2
Difficult to hold or carry because of large, awkward shape
4
7.3
Moving or looking awkward and clumsy
Hard to handle because of large size, weight, or many parts
Not easy to use or carry
Antonyms
How Unwieldy
Surface Forms
Morphology
cumbersome = cumber (semi-transparent) = cumber + some
The adjective is formed by a regular attachment of '-some' to 'cumber' yielding 'causing hindrance or difficulty', but 'cumber' is rare/archaic so the relation may not be obvious to average learners.
Etymology
Cumbersome comes from the old word cumber, meaning 'to burden' or 'to hinder', plus the ending -some meaning 'causing'. Imagine a heavy suitcase that 'causes a burden' and gets in the way. That's why cumbersome describes things that are large, heavy, and hard to carry.