ponderous
pronunciation
How to pronounce ponderous in British English:
UK [ˈpɒndərəs]
How to pronounce ponderous in American English:
US [ˈpɑːndərəs]
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- Adjective:
- slow and laborious because of weight
- having great mass and weight and unwieldiness
- labored and dull
Word Origin
- ponderous (adj.)
- c. 1400, "thick;" early 15c., "heavy, weighty, clumsy," from Latin ponderosus "of great weight; full of meaning," from pondus (genitive ponderis) "weight" (see pound (n.1)). Meaning "tedious" is first recorded 1704. Related: Ponderously; ponderousness.
Example
- 1. This ponderous speech never saw the light of day .
- 2. Just give me one phrase of quotable text , and I 'll produce two pages of ponderous explanation .
- 3. Readers new to the field may find this book a useful overview , but only if they can endure the ponderous writing .
- 4. That could include anything from michael moore 's rantings to john kerry 's ponderous autobiography .
- 5. It was easy to underestimate him because of his occasionally ponderous manner .