cumbrous

Cumbrous is an adjective meaning burdensome or unwieldy, typically describing something that is heavy, awkward, or slow to use or move because of its bulk or complexity. The term is relatively archaic or literary in modern English and is far less common outside historical or poetic contexts. It is closely related to cumbersome, sharing a sense of impediment, though cumbrous carries a stronger note of weight and bulk rather than mere inefficiency.

The word derives from the root cumber, meaning burden or hindrance, with the suffix -ous forming an adjective. It has appeared in English since the early modern period but is now chiefly found in older writings, classical literature, or stylized prose.

In usage, cumbrous can describe objects, systems, or processes that impede progress because of their size, arrangement, or intricacy. For example, a cumbrous apparatus may require many steps to operate; a cumbrous legal procedure may slow adjudication. The term often conveys a sense of tedium and obstruction beyond what more common words like cumbersome or bulky might express.

Related terms include cumbersome, unwieldy, and ponderous. In contemporary writing, cumbrous is most likely to be encountered in historical, poetic, or deliberately archaic prose.