unwieldy

• unwieldly (less common, possibly nonstandard)

From Middle English unweldi, equivalent to un- +‎ wieldy. Cognate with Middle Low German unweldich (“unwieldy”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌʌnˈwɪəl.di/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

unwieldy (comparative unwieldier, superlative unwieldiest)

1. (obsolete) Lacking strength; weak.
2. (obsolete) Ungraceful in movement.
3. Difficult to carry, handle, manage or operate because of its size, weight, shape or complexity.
   • 1985, Patrick Moore, Stargazing: Astronomy without a telescope, Aurum Press, →ISBN, page 18:

     However, the constellation of Argo Navis was so huge and unwieldy that in the 1932 revision, the International Astronomical Union committee chopped it up into a keel (Carina), a poop (Puppis) and sails (Vela).

   • 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 175:

     The railways that would be fused to create the unwieldy Northern Line were the City & South London and the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway, known as the 'Hampstead Tube'.

   • 2017 February 9, Rob Long, “Why I won’t invest in anything that involves effort”, in The National (UAE)‎:

     Recorded music came in unwieldy packages and odd shapes.

4. Badly managed or operated.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

• unwieldiness

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “unwieldy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.