1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in massive
having great weight
those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
lugged a ponderous movie camera all over China
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
Yes, Invasion has received mixed reviews for its ponderous pacing (especially in the first season).
—
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
This year’s popular new music has been decidedly downbeat, with ballads and ponderous country songs topping the charts, Errico said.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
Yet somehow, the IQ manages to look more streamlined than ponderous.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 16 July 2025
But despite those skillful trappings, the story soon feels ponderous.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
This year’s popular new music has been decidedly downbeat, with ballads and ponderous country songs topping the charts, Errico said.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
Yet somehow, the IQ manages to look more streamlined than ponderous.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 16 July 2025
But despite those skillful trappings, the story soon feels ponderous.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
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But Anderson also knows that the moral purity of revolutionaries gets boring pretty fast.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
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However, the McCullum and Stokes selection wagon prefers fast wheels rather than those boring job specs, such as age and experience.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The same goes for its overall profile, though, there’s a lot going on in its front fascia—the side venting is seemingly there for function, but the massive grille is… a lot.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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The mining of coal, for example, unleashes massive amounts of methane into the atmosphere.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the afterglow of the finale, outlets hit publish on SEO-bait around who did what, and clumsy think pieces like this one followed.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
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His paranoia, played with clumsy charm by a mustachioed and bleary-eyed Leonardo DiCaprio, is half-cocked and somewhat comical.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Zelensky said Russia is planning two more heavy offensives after three previous attempts failed and that allies must sustain production of drones and electronic warfare systems and keep weapons and funding flowing to support Ukraine.—
Brendan Cole
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Other states affected by heavy rains include Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir in the north of the country and Telangana in the south.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While there is little doubt about the outcome of the Fed meeting, there are still questions over who exactly will be voting—setting up some very awkward dynamics.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
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This leaves the broader discourse around Kirk’s assassination in an awkward position, deprived of the certainty that so many crave.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
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The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The result is slow, siloed and cumbersome for all parties involved.—
Jason Truppi,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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Kazlauskas told Ars that about 300 users can be added each day due to the cumbersome and allegedly shifting process for porting over data.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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