bulky

adjective

ˈbəl-kē How to pronounce bulky (audio)
also ˈbu̇l-
bulkier; bulkiest
Synonyms of bulkynext
1
a
: having bulk
b(1)
: large of its kind
(2)
: corpulent
2
: having great volume in proportion to weight
a bulky knit sweater
bulkily
ˈbəl-kə-lē How to pronounce bulky (audio)
adverb
bulkiness
ˈbəl-kē-nəs How to pronounce bulky (audio)
noun

Synonyms of bulky

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Examples of bulky in a Sentence

a big, bulky football player bulky packages might cost more to mail
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Results in the three-safety package have been mixed, but at the very least seem to reflect more belief from the coaching staff that the Patriots should match bulkier offensive groupings with this personnel. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026 Seeing an old bulky PC with a PC-DOS command line OS takes those of us of a certain age back to the heady days when computers were exciting and new, even though they had not yet been endowed with the eerie cognitive powers of LLMs. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 But in a contemporary update, the musicians are tucked out of sight and the backstage is deep enough to accommodate bulky scenery. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026 Kurt’s key takeaways What grabs me here is how much walking support the researchers created without loading someone down with bulky motors. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bulky

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bulky was in the 15th century

Rhymes for bulky

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Browse Nearby Words

bulk up
bulky
bulk yarn
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Cite this Entry

“Bulky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulky. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

bulky

adjective
ˈbəl-kē How to pronounce bulky (audio)
bulkier; bulkiest
1
: large in size or mass
2
: being large and hard to handle
bulkiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bulky

Nglish: Translation of bulky for Spanish Speakers

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