unwieldy
adjective
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The Difference Between Wieldy and Unwieldy
The verb to wield means "to handle or exert something effectively." A carpenter might wield a hammer with impressive dexterity, for example, or a talented orator might wield influence over an audience of listeners. Something that is "wieldy" is capable of being wielded easily, and while that adjective may not be particularly common, its antonym "unwieldy" finds ample use to describe anything that is awkward to handle, move, or manage. "Wield" and its relatives all derive via Middle English from Old English wieldan, meaning "to control."
Synonyms
Examples of unwieldy in a Sentence
Pierre Esperance, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024
An unwieldy right-wing alliance of secular and ultra-Orthodox lawmakers, the coalition’s members are divided about whether the state should continue to allow young ultra-Orthodox men to study at religious seminaries instead of serving in the military, as most other Jewish Israelis do.
—Johnatan Reiss, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
While meant to safeguard GE's future growth, this strategy created an unwieldy conglomerate structure and worsened its market vulnerability, notably during the 2008 financial crisis.
—Jim Osman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The result, though still sprawling, isn’t as unwieldy as the eighteen-million-year time line of Liu’s novels.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Reznor was keen to embrace a number of influences that moved beyond the unwieldy label of industrial music.
—Adam Steiner, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
For months the internet has been cracking jokes, making memes, and forming unwieldy theories about Middleton’s whereabouts.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2024
Some media executives question whether the new venture can really lure young consumers and whether an unwieldy structure — one that is similar to the group that initially backed Hulu — can ultimately prevail.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024
Social media is a messy, unwieldy business that requires constant monitoring to weed out hate speech and offensive images.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unwieldy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unwieldy
Cite this Entry
“Unwieldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwieldy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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unwieldy
adjective
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