Dictionary

bulky en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈbʌlki/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English bulki, boulky, equivalent to bulk + -y.

Meanings

1. Being large in size, mass, or volume; big, fat or muscular.
   • The captain did a safety drill. This covered where the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was located, how to make a mayday call, and where the fire extinguishers were. A crew member demonstrated how to put on an immersion suit. These survival suits are waterproof full-body garments with a hood and integral three-finger gloves and boots. They are bulky and hard to get on but far more likely to save your life in cold water than a lifejacket. 2025 October 21, Rose George, “‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose”, in The Guardian:
   • Action such as this, filmed under great difficulty with a bulky, hand-cranked camera, revealed the possibilities of the movies and was quite startling in those early days. 1958 February 14, David Gunston, “Railways on the Screen”, in Railway Magazine, page 87:
   • Needless to say, one's seat must be booked in advance and a platoon of urbane officials, one to each door of the train, awaits passengers to usher them to their seats and relieve them of their bulkier baggage. 1960 March, G. Freeman Allen, “Europe's most luxurious express - the "Settebello"”, in Trains Illustrated, page 140:
2. Unwieldy.
3. Having excess body mass, especially muscle.

Forms

Deriveds

superbulky · bulkily · bulky refuse · bulky waste · nonbulky · bulkiness · unbulky · overbulky

Translations (72)

hu masszív (large in size, mass, or volume) · oc empachatiu (unwieldy) · fi kookas (large in size, mass, or volume) · ro mare (large in size, mass, or volume) · pt volumoso (large in size, mass, or volume) · mi hore (large in size, mass, or volume) · hu ormótlan (unwieldy) · ar ضَخْم (large in size, mass, or volume) · mi takapū (large in size, mass, or volume) · oc empachós (unwieldy) · oc encombrant (unwieldy) · cs objemný (large in size, mass, or volume) · bg масивен (large in size, mass, or volume) · ru объёмистый (large in size, mass, or volume) · ga téagartha (large in size, mass, or volume) · nl lijvig (large in size, mass, or volume) · eo dika (large in size, mass, or volume) · hu méretes (large in size, mass, or volume) · oc encombrós (unwieldy) · hu testes (large in size, mass, or volume) · fr corpulent (large in size, mass, or volume) · nl omvangrijk (large in size, mass, or volume) · sh krupan (large in size, mass, or volume) · it ingombrante (large in size, mass, or volume) · sv skrymmande (large in size, mass, or volume) · es voluminoso (large in size, mass, or volume) · fr encombrant (unwieldy) · el ογκώδης (large in size, mass, or volume) · sk objemný (large in size, mass, or volume) · ga téagartha (unwieldy) · sh velik (large in size, mass, or volume) · pt grosso (large in size, mass, or volume) · es rebultado (unwieldy) · ota ایری (large in size, mass, or volume) · oc embarrassant (unwieldy) · izh varma (large in size, mass, or volume) · es abultado (unwieldy) · mi pū(w)heki (unwieldy) · fr volumineux (large in size, mass, or volume) · ro mătăhălos (unwieldy) · ro voluminos (large in size, mass, or volume) · sv skrymmande (unwieldy) · fr gros (large in size, mass, or volume) · hu vaskos (large in size, mass, or volume) · de sperrig (unwieldy) · hu terjedelmes (large in size, mass, or volume) · it scomodo (unwieldy) · gd tomadach (large in size, mass, or volume) · de wuchtig (large in size, mass, or volume) · ca voluminós (large in size, mass, or volume) · pl masywny (large in size, mass, or volume) · hu zömök (large in size, mass, or volume) · it massiccio (large in size, mass, or volume) · bg тромав (unwieldy) · oc entrepachant (unwieldy) · pt massudo (large in size, mass, or volume) · ota یوغون (large in size, mass, or volume) · eo ampleksa (large in size, mass, or volume) · ko 거대한 (large in size, mass, or volume) · nl dik (large in size, mass, or volume) · hu nagy terjedelmű (large in size, mass, or volume) · da voluminøs (large in size, mass, or volume) · fi iso (large in size, mass, or volume) · mi pūngerungeru (large in size, mass, or volume) · bg обемист (large in size, mass, or volume) · it voluminoso (large in size, mass, or volume) · fi kömpelö (unwieldy) · de massig (large in size, mass, or volume) · oc voluminós (large in size, mass, or volume) · ru громо́здкий (unwieldy) · mi pū(w)heti (unwieldy) · wa håynûle (large in size, mass, or volume)