Cumbersome

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  cumbersome \cum"ber*some\ (k?m"b?r-s?m), a.
     1. Burdensome or hindering, as a weight or drag;
        embarrassing; vexatious; cumbrous.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              To perform a cumbersome obedience.    --Sir. P.


                                                    Sidney.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Not easily managed; as, a cumbersome contrivance or
        machine.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              He holds them in utter contempt, as lumbering,
              cumbersome, circuitous.               --I. Taylor.
        -- {Cum"ber*some*ly}, adv. -- {Cum"ber*some*ness},n.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cumbersome
       adj 1: difficult to handle or use especially because of size or
              weight; "a cumbersome piece of machinery"; "cumbrous
              protective clothing" [syn: {cumbrous}]
       2: not elegant or graceful in expression; "an awkward prose
          style"; "a clumsy apology"; "his cumbersome writing
          style"; "if the rumor is true, can anything be more inept
          than to repeat it now?" [syn: {awkward}, {clumsy}, {inapt},
           {inept}, {ill-chosen}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  65 Moby Thesaurus words for "cumbersome":
     all thumbs, awkward, blunderheaded, blundering, boorish, bulky,
     bumbling, bungling, burdensome, butterfingered, careless, clownish,
     clumsy, clumsy-fisted, contrary, crosswise, cumbrous, elephantine,
     encumbering, fingers all thumbs, fumbling, gauche, gawkish, gawky,
     graceless, ham-fisted, ham-handed, hampering, heavy-handed,
     hulking, hulky, impedimental, impeding, impeditive, impractical,
     inconvenient, incumbent, inelegant, irksome, left-hand,
     left-handed, loutish, lubberly, lumbering, lumpish, lumpy,
     maladroit, massive, massy, oafish, onerous, oppressive, perverse,
     ponderous, sloppy, stiff, superincumbent, tiresome, uncouth,
     ungainly, ungraceful, unhandy, unmanageable, unwieldy, wearisome