cumbersome

adjective

Not easily managed or handled; awkward; clumsy.

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

Hard, difficult, demanding to handle or get around with.

Inert, lumbering, slow in movement.

Roots

combrercumber- · Old French · hinder, block up -sum-some · Old English · tending to, characterized by

Synonyms for cumbersome

cumbrousadj clumsyadj awkwardadj unwieldyadj burdensomeadj onerousadj ungainlyadj inconvenientadj unhandyadj ponderousadj tiresomeadj irksomeadj wearisomeadj inelegantadj

Synonyms & related words for cumbersome

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of cumbersome — including cumbrous, clumsy, awkward, unwieldy, burdensome, onerous. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to cumbersome

Explore words related to cumbersome — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include cumbrousness, cumbersomeness, cumbersomely, clunky, inapt, onerousness, bulkily, tedious. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for cumbersome

Common synonyms for cumbersome include cumbrous, clumsy, awkward, unwieldy, burdensome, onerous, ungainly, inconvenient — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does cumbersome come from?

The word cumbersome breaks down into 2 roots of Old French and Old English origin: cumber, from Old French combrer (“hinder, block up”); and -some, from Old English -sum (“tending to, characterized by”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.