adjective
-
awkward because of size, weight, or shape
cumbersome baggage
-
difficult because of extent or complexity
cumbersome accounts
Other Word Forms
- cumbersomely adverb
- cumbersomeness noun
Etymology
Origin of cumbersome
First recorded in 1325–75, cumbersome is from the Middle English word cummyrsum. See cumber, -some 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This was expensive, cumbersome, and incurred many internal costs.
From Barron's
That, in turn, spares those jurisdictions from going through the more cumbersome process of auctioning off the vehicles, backers of the bill said.
From Los Angeles Times
"I think you can have a school uniform without it being cumbersome," says Duncan, who also has a son who wears a blazer and tie to middle school.
From BBC
“That would be a cumbersome process. The tariffs have to be more specifically framed and the subject of an investigation,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
Shaffer succeeds in this regard, but the wordy play grows cumbersome in its final explanatory stages.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
