Meaning & use

cumbersome

adjective·Advanced

Last updated

Awkward or difficult to handle or use, often because of size, weight, or complexity.

See it in a sentence

The cumbersome suitcase was too heavy to carry up the stairs.

The company simplified its cumbersome approval process to speed up decisions.

A note on using this word

Can describe both physical objects and abstract systems or procedures.

Words with a similar meaning

unwieldyburdensome

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

convenientmanageable

Make it your own

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