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
The years of bitter debate divided and radicalized the Conservative Party, which governed from 2010 to 2024 with a patchwork of policies on immigration and trade that reflected the unwieldy coalition behind Brexit.
—
Mark Landler, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Unlike its larger counterparts that may feel unwieldy within the confines of the hallowed relish tray, the little forks are just the right size for daintily placing in small bowls of various pickled delights, from okra to onions, or nestling alongside the crudités.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 10 May 2025
Comment By necessity of its ambitious and sometimes unwieldy four-seasons-in-one structure, the second season of Andor has developed, at its midway point, a complex relationship with time.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 7 May 2025
Realizing that the Defense Acquisition Guidebook, which ran to nearly 2,000 pages of rules, was cumbersome and unwieldy, Defense Department leaders launched a massive effort to update it.
—Mara Karlin, Foreign Affairs, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Mark Landler, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Unlike its larger counterparts that may feel unwieldy within the confines of the hallowed relish tray, the little forks are just the right size for daintily placing in small bowls of various pickled delights, from okra to onions, or nestling alongside the crudités.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 10 May 2025
Comment By necessity of its ambitious and sometimes unwieldy four-seasons-in-one structure, the second season of Andor has developed, at its midway point, a complex relationship with time.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 7 May 2025
Realizing that the Defense Acquisition Guidebook, which ran to nearly 2,000 pages of rules, was cumbersome and unwieldy, Defense Department leaders launched a massive effort to update it.
—Mara Karlin, Foreign Affairs, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwieldy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwieldy
Adjective
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These transitions, between past and present, are sometimes clumsy but sometimes genuinely sweet, as with an old letter that near-simultaneously is dictated and written, received and read, and finally rediscovered (and only partially understood) in the 21st century.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
27 May 2025
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Wildlife officials helped remove a black bear found hanging out in the kitchen of a Kentucky home after an impressive, yet clumsy break-in, photos show.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Eddie's real parentage is revealed, Maeve is outed, Kevin catches up with Rusby, Bella brokers her deal, and Alice attends an awkward Harrigan dinner.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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There is also an awkward disconnect: Gmail’s recent encryption upgrade clashes with its AI upgrades.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Their goal is also to reduce stress for breastfeeding parents and avoid the cumbersome use of pre- and post-feed weighing of infants.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
26 May 2025
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Although effective, such tests are both expensive and cumbersome and probably not efficient enough to handle the growing need for early diagnosis.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
20 May 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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Getting this into English would be clunky and far too wordy to fit into Quino’s word bubbles.—
Lily Meyer,
The Dial,
20 May 2025
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The cameras aren't as great, though, and Oppo's software is still clunky and buggy.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwieldy. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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