Meanings
adjectivecumbersome (comparative more cumbersome, superlative most cumbersome)
comparative more cumbersome · superlative most cumbersome
- Burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious.
"You can throw off your cumbersome disguise here," said Lucy, though the words could scarcely be distinguished, from her excessive agitation, Evelyn hastily caught up a cloak and cap laid ready for him, and a few minutes brought them into the sitting-room.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 54 - Not easily managed or handled; awkward or clumsy.
Cumbersome machines can endanger operators and slow down production.
1 more example
The full title of the unified system, the South Eastern & London, Chatham & Dover Railways, was decidedly cumbersome, and for the sake of convenience was shortened to the South Eastern & Chatham Railway.
1958 November 28, “The Why and the Wherefore: South Eastern & Chatham Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 809 - Hard, difficult, and demanding to handle or get around with.
A slave’s work was as cumbersome as toiling on the fields, or in the mines.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivedifficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight
Similar
adjectivenot elegant or graceful in expression
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishcumbyrsum
- Englishcumbersome
From Middle English cumbyrsum, cummyrsum; equivalent to cumber (“hindrance”) + -some. Compare encumber and incumbent.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans hinderlik, moeilik
- hinderlikburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- moeilikburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- onhandignot easily managed or handled; awkward
- moeiliknot easily managed or handled; awkward
- moeilikhard, difficult, demanding to handle
Bulgarian тежък, обременителен
- тежък (težăk)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- обременителен (obremenitelen)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- неудобен (neudoben)not easily managed or handled; awkward
Chinese Cantonese 麻煩 /麻烦
- 麻煩 /麻烦 (maa⁴ faan⁴)hard, difficult, demanding to handle
Chinese Mandarin 繁瑣 /繁琐, 繁重
- 繁瑣 /繁琐 (fánsuǒ)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- 繁重 (fánzhòng)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- 笨重 (bènzhòng)not easily managed or handled; awkward
- 麻煩 /麻烦not easily managed or handled; awkward
- 麻煩 /麻烦hard, difficult, demanding to handle
Dutch hinderlijk, lastig
- hinderlijkburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- lastigburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- moeilijkburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- moeizaamburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- zwaarburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- lastignot easily managed or handled; awkward
- moeilijknot easily managed or handled; awkward
- moeizaamnot easily managed or handled; awkward
- onhandignot easily managed or handled; awkward
- zwaarnot easily managed or handled; awkward
- omslachtignot easily managed or handled; awkward
- lastighard, difficult, demanding to handle
Finnish vaivalloinen, hankala
- vaivalloinenburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- hankalaburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- kömpelönot easily managed or handled; awkward
- hankalasti käsiteltävänot easily managed or handled; awkward
- hankalakäyttöinennot easily managed or handled; awkward
- vaivalloinenhard, difficult, demanding to handle
- rasittavahard, difficult, demanding to handle
- kömpelöinert, lumbering, slow in movement
French encombrant, pénible
- encombrantburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- péniblehard, difficult, demanding to handle
- fastidieuxhard, difficult, demanding to handle
- lourdinert, lumbering, slow in movement
- lentinert, lumbering, slow in movement
German hinderlich, lästig, mühsam
- hinderlich, lästigburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- mühsamburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- beschwerlichburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- sperrignot easily managed or handled; awkward
- umständlichnot easily managed or handled; awkward
- schwierighard, difficult, demanding to handle
- schwerfälliginert, lumbering, slow in movement
Hungarian bumfordi, nehézkes
- bumfordiburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- nehézkesnot easily managed or handled; awkward
- nehézhard, difficult, demanding to handle
- lomhainert, lumbering, slow in movement
Irish anásta
- anástanot easily managed or handled; awkward
Italian ingombrante, difficile da usare
- ingombranteburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- difficile da usarenot easily managed or handled; awkward
- macchinosonot easily managed or handled; awkward
- difficilehard, difficult, demanding to handle
- farraginosohard, difficult, demanding to handle
- complessohard, difficult, demanding to handle
- gravosoinert, lumbering, slow in movement
Korean 주체스럽다, 불편하다
- 주체스럽다 (jucheseureopda)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- 불편하다 (bulpyeonhada)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
Māori hīrawerawe
- hīraweraweburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
Norwegian Bokmål uhåndterlig
- uhåndterlignot easily managed or handled; awkward
Polish uciążliwy, nieporęczny
- uciążliwyburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- nieporęcznynot easily managed or handled; awkward
- niewygodnynot easily managed or handled; awkward
- nieporęcznyhard, difficult, demanding to handle
Portuguese incómodo, incômodo
- incómodoburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- incômodoburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- desajeitadonot easily managed or handled; awkward
Russian обремени́тельный, затрудни́тельный
- обремени́тельный (obremenítelʹnyj)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- затрудни́тельный (zatrudnítelʹnyj)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- тя́гостный (tjágostnyj)burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- громо́здкий (gromózdkij)not easily managed or handled; awkward
- неудо́бный (neudóbnyj)not easily managed or handled; awkward
- сло́жный (slóžnyj)hard, difficult, demanding to handle
- проблематичный (problematičnyj)hard, difficult, demanding to handle
- объёмный (obʺjómnyj)inert, lumbering, slow in movement
- грузный (gruznyj)inert, lumbering, slow in movement
- объёмистый (obʺjómistyj)inert, lumbering, slow in movement
Spanish pesado, cargante
- pesadoburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- carganteburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- penosoburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- onerosoburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- aparatosonot easily managed or handled; awkward
- abultadonot easily managed or handled; awkward
- farragosohard, difficult, demanding to handle
- dispendiosohard, difficult, demanding to handle
- engorrosohard, difficult, demanding to handle
Swedish otymplig
- otympligburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
Turkish külfetli, zor taşınır
- külfetliburdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous
- zor taşınırnot easily managed or handled; awkward
- zorhard, difficult, demanding to handle
- ağırinert, lumbering, slow in movement
- hantalinert, lumbering, slow in movement
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cumbersome
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
cumbersome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumbersome
MLA
“cumbersome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumbersome. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cumbersome,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumbersome.
Source: cumbersome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.