ponderous

[ pon-der-uhs ]

adjective

1. of great weight; heavy; massive.
2. awkward or unwieldy:

   He carried a ponderous burden on his back.

3. dull and labored:

   a ponderous dissertation.

   Synonyms: tedious, dreary, boring, heavy

   Antonyms: exciting, lively

ponderous

/ ˌpɒndəˈrɒsɪtɪ; ˈpɒndərəs /

adjective

1. of great weight; heavy; huge
2. (esp of movement) lacking ease or lightness; awkward, lumbering, or graceless
3. dull or laborious

   a ponderous oration

Derived Forms

• ˈponderousness, noun
• ˈponderously, adverb

Other Words From

• ponder·ous·ly adverb
• ponder·ous·ness pon·der·os·i·ty [pon-d, uh, -, ros, -i-tee], noun
• nonpon·der·osi·ty noun
• non·ponder·ous adjective
• non·ponder·ous·ly adverb
• non·ponder·ous·ness noun
• over·ponder·ous adjective
• over·ponder·ous·ly adverb
• over·ponder·ous·ness noun
• un·ponder·ous adjective
• un·ponder·ous·ly adverb
• un·ponder·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ponderous¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ponderos, pondereuse ) < Latin ponderōsus. See ponder, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ponderous¹

C14: from Latin ponderōsus of great weight, from pondus weight

Example Sentences

He added the pacing felt "ponderous and slow".

From BBC

England's solitary try came from a smart Marcus Smith intercept of a ponderous pass, but they rarely looked as if they could pick a way though the defence via their own wit.

From BBC

And yet, for long periods, England were slow, sterile and ponderous, even with the lift of Jack Grealish's early goal.

From BBC

It can come off a little pretentious, with its Roman numeral “chapter” titles, nervous zoom shots and ponderous voice-overs.

From Los Angeles Times

“I wrote a treatment and it was very heavy, ponderous, possessing roughly the same attitude as ‘Night of the Living Dead’,” he said.

From New York Times

Related Words

• labored
• monotonous
• plodding
• stilted
• stodgy
• stuffy