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cumbersome

/ˈkʌmbɚsəm/

Meanings
  • Adjective

    Heavy or difficult to carry, handle, or deal with.

    - "The luggage was too cumbersome to carry up the stairs."
    - "The old furniture was cumbersome to move."

Synonyms

cumbrous , unwieldy
Rhymes
Words rhyming with cumbersome
gumboil , rumbloe , tumultuous
Variants
List of all variants of cumbersome that leads to same result
cumbersome , cumbersomely , cumbersomeness , cumbersomenesses
Etymology
origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

Originally meant 'full of care' or 'burdened'. From Middle English cumbersome, from cumber, to burden.


Trivia
Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word
  1. The word cumbersome comes from the Middle English word cumber, which means 'to burden'.

  2. In the 16th century, the word cumbersome was used to describe a large, ornate bed.

  3. The term 'cumbersome technology' is often used to describe outdated or unwieldy equipment.


Related Concepts
informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to
  1. burden: Related to the concept of a burden or weight, both literal and metaphorical.

  2. clumsy: Often used interchangeably with cumbersome, but clumsy refers specifically to being uncoordinated or awkward in movement.


Quotes
Quotes by authors and personalities
  1. He cut some segments of the 2" pine but discovered that … a "cumbersome" system of braces would be needed to hold the sides straight.

    - John Updike,{it}Couples{/it},1968
  2. He got the approval of the higher-ups, but the course was scuttled by members of his own department, who devised all kinds of "cumbersome", silly requirements and prerequisites.

    - Alice Munro,{it}New Yorker{/it},20 Mar. 1989
  3. Squad members, already decked out in "cumbersome" chemical suits, put on masks and rubber gloves.

    - Ray Wilkinson,{it}Newsweek{/it},11 Mar. 1991

Culture
Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

Cumbersome has been used in literature to describe characters or situations that are difficult to deal with. In art, it can refer to large, heavy sculptures or paintings.

How to Memorize "cumbersome"

  1. visualize

    - Visualize a heavy object or a large, unwieldy item to remember the meaning of cumbersome.

  2. associate

    - Associate the word cumbersome with the feeling of being weighed down or burdened.

  3. mnemonics

    - Create a mnemonic using the first letter of each definition: C-Heavy, U-Unwieldy, M-Makes life difficult, B-Burdened, O-Overly large, S-Sometimes impossible to manage, O-Overwhelming, M-Makes tasks more difficult, E-Extremely heavy.


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