1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
fell asleep during the ponderous speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in massive
having great weight
those ponderous pachyderms more commonly known as elephants
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ponderous
The magic of blasting down a wall of water balanced on a few pounds of Styrofoam doesn’t typically translate to the rectangular page; too many efforts feel pompous, ponderous or preening.
—
Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Too often novels packed with this many ideas sacrifice emotion in favor of mounting a ponderous argument; Norlin instead writes visceral episodes that speak for themselves.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
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
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
Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Too often novels packed with this many ideas sacrifice emotion in favor of mounting a ponderous argument; Norlin instead writes visceral episodes that speak for themselves.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
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
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
-
Some people assume that longtime married couples are boring, but my husband has never bored me.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2025
-
Spectators perceive tennis outfits as plain, boring, rigid or limited to a specific silhouette.—
Ruth Etiesit Samuel,
Essence,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Earps also made a massive impact off the field, calling out Nike for not selling replica women’s goalkeeper shirts during the World Cup — and winning.—
Emily Olsen,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
-
After their massive breakthrough and worldwide success, all eyes are on Turnstile.—
Lawrence Burney,
Pitchfork,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The solution to getting those who may be slower to embrace AI isn’t to push them harder, but to coach them and consider their backgrounds.—
Greg Edwards,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
-
Still, even if the growth is slower than in some North American leagues, European teams continue to appreciate.—
Justin Teitelbaum,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
This international window will be too soon to judge the new manager, but heavy expectations will be waiting around the corner for Ancelotti, and come the September and October internationals Brazil fans will expect big improvements for their side after a recent humbling by Argentina.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
-
Its presence increases air pockets and channels in the soil, which increases porosity in heavy clay or compact soils and helps the soil drain better.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
From awkward silences to unresolved tensions, most of us would rather scroll, text, or disappear than risk a moment of raw, honest connection.—
Margie Warrell,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
The feelings of being sweaty, red-faced and kind of awkward is very familiar to me.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
These guys have been touring for decades, never tiring of playing the hits even while steadily putting out albums full of new material.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
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Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle sustains this tiring play style by deploying a 10-man rotation, allowing his players to stay fresh throughout high-intensity games.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Ponderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ponderous. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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