1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in massive
having great weight
those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
lugged a ponderous movie camera all over China
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
And when the outcome is slow, ponderous and predictable, the risk to set up in that shape becomes even less worth taking.
—
Thom Harris, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
With their colossal bodies and ponderous feet, elephants have never struck me as masters of hide-and-seek.
—Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
The song drips with pungent blue notes, but Flack — singing over a jazz combo at a ponderous tempo — finds a way to luxuriate in the melody, bending the lyrics enough to make any fan perk up.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Thom Harris, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
With their colossal bodies and ponderous feet, elephants have never struck me as masters of hide-and-seek.
—Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
Yunan The Bottom Line Not without ponderous moments, but poetic and affecting.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
The song drips with pungent blue notes, but Flack — singing over a jazz combo at a ponderous tempo — finds a way to luxuriate in the melody, bending the lyrics enough to make any fan perk up.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ponderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ponderous
Adjective
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These anything but boring side dishes let the bounty of the season shine in new and exciting ways.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Take it from this guy, who bought the beautiful Starfield limited-edition Xbox controller, headset, and console wrap for over $200, only to play the game and dump it after 20 boring hours.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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May is the first month where the adjustments are seeing massive swings.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Apr. 2025
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Stevens, 86, suffered a massive stroke in 2016 and is currently in assisted living, according to her daughter, actress Joely Fisher.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Raw also advertised Bayley challenging Lyra Valkyria for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship, Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio and the world’s most clumsy GM Adam Pearce making his next fumble of the worst storyline going this WrestleMania season between Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
This is why the Trump administration’s DOGE exercise — while clumsy at times — is such an important endeavor despite Democratic efforts to discredit it.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The building Celine now occupies what used to be a slow pop-up for Dior and Loro Piana.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
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Samsung is neck and neck with Google, but its updates are often slower and more limited on older phones.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Only problem was, the stars no longer shone, and the smell of impending rain was heavy in the air.—
Thomas Weddle,
Outdoor Life,
17 Apr. 2025
-
On Tuesday afternoon, heavy machinery — two yellow excavators — were at work filling buckets of the remains of those homes, dropping them into trucks to be hauled away.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For introverts who might naturally lean toward a prevention focus—fearing rejection or awkward interactions—consciously developing a promotion focus can transform their job search approach.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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Its Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen, was in his late 20s and still had an awkward, youthful reserve that turned out to be perfect for this version’s take on the handsome, distant gentleman who falls for Elizabeth.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ultimately, many on the internet have identified this week as a particularly tiring one for Black K-pop fans.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
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Of course, going from shows to pickleball classes to after-hours jam sessions at B.B. King’s Blues Club can be tiring.—
DeMarco Williams,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 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
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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