Bulky

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈbʌlki/

Definitions

1. Having a substantial size or mass that makes handling, transporting, or organizing it challenging due to its weight or dimensions
2. Characterized by significant volume or dimensions, which complicates its mobility, storage, or management because of its size
3. Having a large size or mass that makes something hard to move or store

Etymology: "Bulky" is a plain formation: the noun "bulk," meaning the size or mass of something, with the suffix "-y," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having" or "characterised by" that quality. So "bulky" describes something that has a lot of bulk, something whose size makes it awkward to handle. The root "bulk" is older and has a more concrete history. It is related to Old Norse "bulki," meaning a heap or cargo, which suggests the sense of something piled up or swelling. Over time, "bulk" came to mean the physical magnitude of a thing, and "bulky" followed that sense closely, describing objects that are large and cumbersome rather than large in some abstract way. The form appeared in Middle English as "bulki" and "boulky," and its meaning has stayed remarkably stable since then, still referring to size that makes a thing hard to manage.

Synonyms: cumbersome, heavy, massive, clumsy, unwieldy

Antonyms: compact, slim, lightweight, neat, small