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Dictionary Entry

cumbersome

Part of SpeechadjectivePronunciation/ˈkʌmbɚsəm/Word FrequencyCommon (4.19)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)

Burdensome or hindering, as a weight or drag; vexatious

In a Sentence

The cumbersome suitcase made it hard to move through the narrow hallway.

Published Usage Examples

That results in cumbersome procedures for many passengers.

It also seems to me that on the core amnesty point, what the negotiators came up with was simultaneously unduly cumbersome from a humanitarian point of view while also not in any way appeasing restrictionist concerns.

This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 12 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.

Origin

From Middle English ‘cumb’ meaning ‘weight, burden’ plus the suffix -some.

Common Phrases

. cumbersomeprocess cumbersomeprocedure cumbersomeprocedures cumbersomecumbersome lesscumbersome rather

Poetry examples for cumbersome

Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.

Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.