adjective
cumbersome
KUHM-buh-suhm
adjective
1
Awkward or difficult to handle, carry, or manage because of size, weight, or complexity.
"The old suitcase was heavy and cumbersome to drag through the airport."
"Filling out the cumbersome paperwork took most of the afternoon."
How to Use Cumbersome
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBulky, awkward, or overly complicated — hard to deal with easily, whether it's an object or a process.
Common pairings
a cumbersome process
cumbersome equipment
cumbersome bureaucracy
Word Forms
more cumbersome comparative, most cumbersome superlative
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The old suitcase was heavy and _____ to drag through the airport.
Etymology
From Middle English cumbersum, built from "cumber" ("hindrance, burden") plus the suffix "-some." Related to "encumber" and "incumbent."