What does cumbersome mean?
Word: Cumbersome
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Cumbersome means large, heavy or awkward, and so difficult to carry or use.
Synonyms: unwieldy, awkward
How do you spell cumbersome?
Syllables: cum - ber - some
Tricky part: A weak vowel at the end makes cumbersum look right, but the word finishes in some.
Watch out for: cumbersum, cumbersom, cumbersomme
Memory tip: Too heavy to lift all at once, you can carry only some of it, so let some finish the word.
Cumbersome in a sentence
Example 1: Early computers were cumbersome machines that filled whole rooms.
Example 2: In that cumbersome raincoat, Arjun could hardly ride his bicycle.
Example 3: Filling in the cumbersome form took my father most of the morning.
Fun Fact
The ending of this word goes back to Old English, and the same ending turns up in tiresome, lonesome and awesome.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. portable 2. sturdy 3. fragille 4. cumbersome
a) light enough to be carried around
b) strong and not easily knocked over
c) too big and heavy to handle with ease
d) easily broken or damaged
Show answer
d) easily broken or damaged. Fragile needs just one l, so it is the misspelt word here.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word cumbersome as used in the sentence:
The cumbersome old trunk had to be dragged up the stairs by three of my uncles.
a) manageable
b) costly
c) shabby
d) noisy
Show answer
a) manageable. A manageable trunk would have been easy to move; this one took three men.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The trekking tents were so ermbsucmeo that the guide hired two mules to carry them.
a) burdensome
b) troublesome
c) wholesome
d) cumbersome
Show answer
d) cumbersome. Of the four words, only cumbersome has a c at all.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Carrying that cumbesome wooden easel all the way to the art room left both of my arms tired for hours.
a) easel
b) cumbesome
c) wooden
d) tired
Show answer
b) cumbesome. An r has dropped out just before the s.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which object deserves to be called cumbersome?
a) a wardrobe being moved upstairs
b) a pencil kept in a shirt pocket
c) a stamp stuck in an album
d) a paper clip lying on a desk
Show answer
a) a wardrobe being moved upstairs
2. Why might a traveller swap a cumbersome bag for a new one?
a) it has gone out of fashion this year
b) its label shows the wrong home town
c) its colour no longer matches her coat
d) it is a struggle to lift on to trains
Show answer
d) it is a struggle to lift on to trains
