ponderous

[US]/ˈpɒndərəs/
[UK]/ˈpɑːndərəs/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

adj. heavy, cumbersome, awkward; dull

Phrases & Collocations

ponderous task

ponderous book

Example Sentences

a book with a ponderous plot;

a ponderous speech.See Synonyms at heavy

a ponderous compliment. Somethingcumbersome is difficult to move, handle, or deal with because it is heavy, bulky, or clumsy:

Liz could hardly restrain herself from finishing all his ponderous sentences.

ponderous prehistoric beasts. Figuratively it describes what is complicated, involved, or lacking in grace:

The professor's lectures were always ponderous and difficult to follow.

She struggled to stay awake during the ponderous meeting.

The old man moved with a ponderous gait, leaning heavily on his cane.

The novel's plot was so ponderous that many readers lost interest.

The committee's decision-making process was slow and ponderous.

The elephant moved with a ponderous grace, despite its size.

The project's progress was hindered by the team's ponderous bureaucracy.

The opera singer's voice filled the hall with its ponderous beauty.

The company's outdated processes made everything feel ponderous and inefficient.

The castle's ponderous gates creaked open, revealing the grand courtyard within.

Real-world Examples

As I said, my lord, a ponderous read.

Source: Game of Thrones Season 1

The upstairs hall seemed to shake as Mammy's ponderous weight came toward the door.

Source: Gone with the Wind

But it's also slow, lumbering, and ponderous, a predator that occasionally has to scavenge to survive.

Source: Discovery Channel: Battle of the Dinosaurs

She threw the contents of her wine cup full in his face. Ser Kevan rose with a ponderous dignity.

Source: A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows

Veronese was a " first-draft" , speedy painter, rarely making mistakes or alterations (Titian, by contrast, was a ponderous reviser).

Source: The Economist - Arts

To make of his ponderous sorrow a security!

Source: Seven-angled Tower (Part 2)

Which is maybe a little ponderous but you get the idea.

Source: Khan Academy Open Course: English Grammar

Three-fourths of their fury was due only to his ponderous manner.

Source: The Education of Henry Adams (Part Two)

The slow ticking of a wall clock sounded loud and ponderous in the quiet.

Source: A handsome face.

The fall was in flood and not so lightly would its ponderous mass be swayed.

Source: Yosemite

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