ponderous.

1. Very heavy and cumbersome, or slow and labored in movement, speech, or style.

2. Slow, cumbersome, or over-elaborate in expression, especially of speech, prose, or reasoning.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• ponderous gate
• ponderous tread
• ponderous prose
• ponderous argument
• ponderous speech

On the page

The ponderous gate groaned open one inch at a time.

The ponderous report buried its one useful finding beneath pages of repetition.

Usage notes

For physical objects it suggests heaviness or awkward movement; for prose or speech it often criticizes slowness and dullness. Sense 2: This is usually a criticism of style or pace, not simply of a topic being serious.