Dictionary

cumbersome en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkʌmbəsəm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈkʌmbɚsəm/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle English cumbyrsum, cummyrsum; equivalent to cumber (“hindrance”) + -some. Compare encumber and incumbent.

Meanings

1. 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:
2. Not easily managed or handled; awkward or clumsy.
   • 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 14, “The Why and the Wherefore: South Eastern & Chatham Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 809:
   • Cumbersome machines can endanger operators and slow down production.
3. 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.
4. Inert, lumbering, or slow in movement.

Forms

Deriveds

cumbersomely · uncumbersome · cumbersomeness

Synonyms

unwieldy · cumbrous · lumpish

Translations (108)

pt incômodo (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · pl niewygodny (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · it macchinoso (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · ru грузный (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · cmn 繁重 (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fr lourd (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · fi hankala (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · gl traballoso (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · nl moeilijk (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · it difficile (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · hu nehéz (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · it ingombrante (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · bg тежък (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · af hinderlik (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · de beschwerlich (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · mi hīrawerawe (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · ota دشوار (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · nl zwaar (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · nl moeizaam (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · bg неудобен (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · nl moeilijk (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · af onhandig (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · mk неу́добен (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · es cargante (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · de mühsam (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · nl zwaar (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fi vaivalloinen (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · nl lastig (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · pdt schwoafalich (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · gl custoso (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fi kömpelö (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · pt incómodo (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · it gravoso (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · nl omslachtig (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · gl aparatoso (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · es penoso (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fi hankalakäyttöinen (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · tr zor (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · ru обремени́тельный (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · pt desajeitado (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · nl hinderlijk (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · es abultado (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · ru неудо́бный (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · bg обременителен (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fr encombrant (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fi hankalasti käsiteltävä (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · ga anásta (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · fi kömpelö (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · cmn 麻煩 /麻烦 (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · yue 麻煩 /麻烦 (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · af moeilik (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · it complesso (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · pl nieporęczny (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · de sperrig (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · nl lastig (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · de umständlich (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · ru затрудни́тельный (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · es farragoso (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · es pesado (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · ru тя́гостный (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · tr zor taşınır (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · tr ağır (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · dz ལྗིད་ཅན (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · ru объёмистый (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · it difficile da usare (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · sv otymplig (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · es engorroso (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · fr pénible (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · hu bumfordi (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fr fastidieux (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · pl uciążliwy (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · nl moeizaam (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · es oneroso (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · ko 주체스럽다 (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · af moeilik (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · nl log (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · nl lastig (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · fi rasittava (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · ko 불편하다 (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · cmn 笨重 (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · de hinderlich, lästig (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · pl nieporęczny (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · de schwerfällig (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · it farraginoso (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · nl moeizaam (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · ru проблематичный (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · fr lent (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · cmn 繁瑣 /繁琐 (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · gl pesado (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · fi vaivalloinen (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · es aparatoso (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · hu lomha (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · tr hantal (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · af moeilik (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · nl onhandig (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · es dispendioso (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · mk о́бемен (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · ru объёмный (inert, lumbering, slow in movement) · mk те́жок (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · hu nehézkes (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · nb uhåndterlig (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · cmn 麻煩 /麻烦 (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · ru сло́жный (hard, difficult, demanding to handle) · nl moeilijk (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · nl lastig (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · ru громо́здкий (not easily managed or handled; awkward) · tr külfetli (burdensome or hindering, as if a weight or drag; vexatious; cumbrous) · de schwierig (hard, difficult, demanding to handle)