wieldy
Syllables: wiel·dyUK/ˈwiːldi//ˈwildi/
wieldy adjective: able to wield one's body well; active, dexterous.
Adjective
wieldy (comparative more wieldy or (archaic) wieldier, superlative most wieldy or (archaic) wieldiest)
- Able to wield one's body well; active, dexterous.
- But the baron, who was neither ſo wieldy nor ſupple in his joints as his companions, flounced himſelf down with ſuch precipitation, that his feet ſuddenly tilting up, came in furious contact with the head of the marquis, […]1751, [Tobias] Smollett, “The Doctor Prepares an Entertainment in the Manner of the Ancients, which is Attended with Divers Ridiculous Circumstances”, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […]...
- She bore the proportions of a marchioness all over; that is, was more wieldy than a duchess, more unwieldy than a countess. […] [T]he Marchioness of Clanweary was wieldy and limp; she moved herself surprisingly, and if not for too long together, was a good walker; but her feet were too small for...1868 November, “Her Winning Ways. A Novel.”, in William Harrison Ainsworth, editor, The New Monthly Magazine, volume CXLIII, number DLXXV, London: Hard Bentley, […], →OCLC, chapter IX (Starved at a...
- Capable of being easily wielded or managed; handy.
- July the 30. we took boat to go down to Abbeville, by the river of Some; a river of no great breadth, but deep and full; the boat which carryed us was much of the making of thoſe Lighters which live on the Thames, but that is was made more wieldie and fit for ſpeed.1656, Peter Heylyn, “Our Journey down the Some, and Company. …”, in A Survey of the Estate of France, and of Some of the Adjoyning Ilands: […], Printed by E. Coates for Henry Seile, […], →OCLC, page...
- About twenty years agoe, I publiſhed, Latiali but rudi Minerva, a Synopſis of a Philoſophical Grammar and Lexicon; […] deſigning not only to remedie the confuſion of Languages, by giving a much more eaſie medium of communication than any yet known; but alſo to cure even Philoſophy it ſelf of the...1680, Geo[rge] Delgarno, “The Introduction, with a Key to the Following Discourse”, in Didascalocophus or The Deaf and Dumb Mans Tutor, […], Oxford: Printed at the Theater, →OCLC
- Synonyms:
- manageable, wieldsome
- Antonyms:
- unwieldy
wieldy meaning in Kannada
wieldy in Kannada
- ಸಾವಗಿಸಬಲ್ಲ, ಅಸಕೊಳ್ಳಬಲ್ಲ
Examples of wieldy in a sentence
- In former ages, the quarter-staff was a formidable weapon— […] To this heavy staff succeeded the lighter single-stick, or cudgel, which was more wieldy, portable, and elegant.1809 December, “Dleifyarb” [pseudonym], “On Popular Sporting Amusements”, in The Sporting Magazine or Monthly Calendar, of the Transactions...
- This machine requires more power than the compact model, is less wieldy, and is somewhat more difficult to keep in adjustment.1964, Thomas C. Croker, Jr., Two H-C Furrow Seeders (U.S. Forest Service Research Note; SO-5), New Orleans, La.: Southern Forest Experiment...
Synonyms of wieldy
Antonyms
Forms of wieldy
| comparative | more wieldy |
|---|---|
| superlative | most wieldy |
| comparative (archaic) | wieldier |
| superlative (archaic) | wieldiest |
Origin of wieldy
From Middle English weeldy, weldy (“agile, vigorous; of a shield: easy or satisfying to wield”), from welden (“to govern, preside over, reign, rule; to command, control, dominate; to dwell, reside; to accomplish, bring about; to overcome, prevail; to handle (a tool, weapon, etc.), use”). By surface analysis, wield + -y. Compare also Old English ġewielde (“controlling, dominant”), from Proto-West Germanic *waldī, from Proto-Germanic *waldiz (“manageable; powerful”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to rule; powerful, strong”). Later uses of sense 2 (“capable of being easily wielded”) are likely a back-formation from unwieldy.
Words formed from wieldy
Questions about wieldy
- What does wieldy mean?
- Wieldy means able to wield one's body well; active, dexterous.
- What is wieldy in Kannada?
- Wieldy in Kannada is ಸಾವಗಿಸಬಲ್ಲ, ಅಸಕೊಳ್ಳಬಲ್ಲ. See Wieldy meaning in Kannada.
- How do you use wieldy in a sentence?
- In former ages, the quarter-staff was a formidable weapon— […] To this heavy staff succeeded the lighter single-stick, or cudgel, which was more wieldy, portable, and elegant.
- What part of speech is wieldy?
- Wieldy is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce wieldy?
- Wieldy is pronounced /ˈwiːldi/ (UK).
Words near wieldy in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: wieldy (page history and authors); wieldy (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-wieldy.ogg.
Cite this entry: “wieldy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wieldy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.