From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcumbersomecum‧ber‧some /ˈkʌmbəsəm $ -bər-/ adjective 1 SLOWa process or system that is cumbersome is slow and difficult Doctors are complaining that the system is cumbersome and bureaucratic. cumbersome procedures2 HEAVYheavy and difficult to move a large cumbersome machine3 COMPLICATEDwords or phrases that are cumbersome are long or complicated
Examples from the Corpus
cumbersome• I used to have one of those old sewing machines, but it was too cumbersome.• Try dowsing without rods: it's much less cumbersome.• A shovel had been too slow and cumbersome.• The engineers said their workplace was confining and their furniture was cumbersome.• Leroy bitterly opposed the plan for being cumbersome and costly.• They went back to natural oestrogen, a cumbersome and expensive product, harvested from the urine of pregnant mares.• McMahon wore a cumbersome brace on his right leg.• And they do away with cumbersome expense claims and time-consuming paperwork.• The room was dominated by an enormous, cumbersome leather armchair.• The end result was a delicious but rather cumbersome sandwich.Origin cumbersome (1300-1400) cumber “to prevent from moving freely, load” ((14-20 centuries)) (from encumber) + -some 