as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
an unwieldy machine that requires two people to operate it
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Recent Examples of unwieldy
Somalia proved to be a classic example of mission creep; over time, the goal grew so unwieldy that the United States promised more than it was prepared to deliver.
—
Dennis Ross, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2025
This mini cooler was easy to use, not unwieldy in its design, and most importantly, kept food from spoiling, despite sitting in the sun at times and spending a couple hours sans power.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
What to Consider This bike is heavy, and can feel unwieldy on tight turns.
—Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2025
Providing succulents with too much fertilizer can cause these plants to grow too quickly and develop unwieldy stems that are prone to breaking.
6.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Dennis Ross, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2025
This mini cooler was easy to use, not unwieldy in its design, and most importantly, kept food from spoiling, despite sitting in the sun at times and spending a couple hours sans power.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
What to Consider This bike is heavy, and can feel unwieldy on tight turns.
—Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2025
Providing succulents with too much fertilizer can cause these plants to grow too quickly and develop unwieldy stems that are prone to breaking.
6.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
-
Imagine being cuddled by long-legged, clumsy poodles.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
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That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Comments A little case of mistaken identity took an awkward turn for Luke Bryan recently.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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Though, fair warning: a colleague told me using it with their manager made for a very awkward 48 hours.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Over the course of his pontificate, Francis contended with conservatives and with a cumbersome bureaucracy practiced in the art of resisting change.—
Randall Balmer,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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But deportation — a cumbersome process generally involving an arrest, detention, a removal order from a judge and finally a flight out of the U.S. — can take months or years.—
Alyson Hurt,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That dispute was patched over by an ungainly agreement, negotiated between the European Commission and the U.S. government.—
Henry Farrell,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Apr. 2025
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Examples imported from 1975 through 1985 had rather ungainly impact bumpers, so early, chrome-bumper cars are aesthetically more desirable.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The new console boasts an integrated chat feature, eliminating the clunky external phone connections of its predecessor.—
Eammonn Dignam,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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The Sabres led 1-0 after a clunky first period thanks to a give-and-go power play goal with 19 seconds left before intermission.—
Adam Beasley,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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