Question 1 · Quick check
ponderous
/ˈpɒn.dəɹ.əs/
adjective
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
adjective
Slow, heavy, and difficult to deal with or understand.
- 02
adjective
Extra detailClumsy, unwieldy, or slow, especially due to weight.
Examples
Seals are clumsy and ponderous on land, but very graceful in the water.
The old professor's lectures are long-winded and ponderous.
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 5
- Synonyms
- 4
Deep Dive
adjective
Extra meaningsSerious, onerous, oppressive.
Heavy, massive, weighty.
Dull, boring, tedious; long-winded in expression.
More examples
In context[H]e saw, at the end of a shallow embrasure, a ponderous door of dark wood, braced with iron.
The great elephant, when the cage was being placed, would, at a signal from its keeper, place its ponderous head against one side of the cage and push.
Over supper the minister did unbend a little into one or two ponderous jokes.
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
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Nearby
Origin
adjective
Ultimately from Latin ponderōsus (“weighty”).