Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Unwieldy

Un-wield′y

,

Adj.

Not easily wielded or carried; unmanageable; bulky; ponderous.

“A fat, unwieldy body of fifty-eight years old.”

Clarendon.

–

Un-wield′i-ly

(#)

,

adv.

–

Un-wield′i-ness

,

Noun.

Webster 1828 Edition

Unwieldy

UNWIE'LDY

,

Adj.

That is moved with difficulty; unmanageable; bulky; ponderous; as an unwieldy bulk; an unwieldy rock.

Definition 2024

unwieldy

unwieldy

English

Alternative forms

unwieldly (less common, possibly nonstandard)

Adjective

unwieldy ‎(comparative unwieldier, superlative unwieldiest)

(obsolete) Lacking strength; weak.
(obsolete) Ungraceful in movement.
Difficult to carry, handle, manage or operate because of its size, weight, shape or complexity.
Badly managed or operated.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

wieldy

Translations

difficult to carry, handle, manage or operate

Catalan: farragós m
Chinese:
Mandarin:
Dutch: log (nl)
Esperanto: grandaĉa
Finnish: kömpelö (fi), hankala (fi)
French: encombrant (fr), lourd (fr), peu maniable
German: unhandlich
Italian: scomodo (it) m
Maori: pūhetī, pūwhetī, pūheki, pūwheki

Norwegian: tungvinn

Bokmål: uhåndterlig, uhandterlig

Nynorsk: uhandterleg, ulagleg
Polish: nieporęczny (pl)
Portuguese: imanejável, imanuseável
Russian: неподъёмный (ru) ‎(nepodʺjómnyj), неудобный (ru) m ‎(neudobnyj)
Spanish: farragoso m
Swedish: otymplig (sv)

References

“unwieldy” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).