English vocabulary · B2
Cumbersome
/ˈkʌmbərsəm/ · adj.
It means large and heavy, and very hard to move or use. It takes too much effort for what it does.
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Example sentences
- The old printer was cumbersome and took up the whole desk.
- Moving the cumbersome sofa up the stairs took four people.
Word origin and roots
from Old English
- cumber — block (from Old English)
- some — full of (from Old English)
Synonyms and nuances
- BULKY — too large to handle (Takes Up Too Much Space)
- AWKWARD — difficult to manage (Hard to Control)
- UNWIELDY — not easy to control (Hard to Hold or Move)
Similar words
- bulky
- unwieldy
- awkward
Lesson notes
Cumbersome. It means large and heavy, and very hard to move or use. It takes too much effort for what it does.
Similar words are bulky, awkward, and unwieldy. Use cumbersome when something is too big and heavy to handle easily.
The old printer was cumbersome and took up the whole desk. Moving the cumbersome sofa up the stairs took four people.
From Old English. cumber- means block. some- means full of. Full of things that block you: that is cumbersome.