Synonyms
hefty, massive, weighty, cumbersome, lumpish, elephantine, heavy-handed, labored, awkward, bulky, dreary, dull
ponderous - 5 dictionary results
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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| pon·der·ous
(pŏn'dər-əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[Middle English, from Old French pondereux, from Latin ponderōsus, from pondus, ponder-, weight; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.] pon'der·ous·ly adv., pon'der·ous·ness, pon'der·os'i·ty (-ŏs'ĭ-tē) n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
ponderous
c.1400, "heavy, weighty, clumsy," from L. ponderosus "of great weight," from pondus (gen. ponderis) "weight" (see pound (1)). Meaning "tedious" is first recorded 1704.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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| ponderous | |
adjective | |
| 1. | slow and laborious because of weight; "the heavy tread of tired troops"; "moved with a lumbering sag-bellied trot"; "ponderous prehistoric beasts"; "a ponderous yawn" [syn: heavy] |
| 2. | having great mass and weight and unwieldiness; "a ponderous stone"; "a ponderous burden"; "ponderous weapons" |
| 3. | labored and dull; "a ponderous speech" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Ponderous
Pon"der*ous\, a. [L. ponderosus, from pondus, -eris, a weight: cf. F. pond['e]reux. See Ponder.]1. Very heavy; weighty; as, a ponderous shield; a ponderous load; the ponderous elephant. The sepulcher . . . Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws. --Shak. 2. Important; momentous; forcible. "Your more ponderous and settled project." --Shak. 3. Heavy; dull; wanting; lightless or spirit; as, a ponderous style; a ponderous joke. Ponderous spar (Min.), heavy spar, or barytes. See Barite.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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