ENCUMBERED Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

encumbered 1 of 2

adjective

as in hindered

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encumbered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of encumber

as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of the claim that all of these regulations encumber doctors, taking time away from the actual practice of medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in loaded

to place a weight or burden on don't encumber your pack animal so much that it can hardly move

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of encumbered

Adjective

Now Democrats have a chance to replace Platner with a new candidate—someone who is, perhaps, less encumbered—and redouble their efforts to flip Collins’s seat. — Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Verb

The open publishing model that allows anyone to develop an application and distribute it to a small circle of friends or colleagues to solve a niche problem is now encumbered by formal identity verification. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Already in play is Manhattan Beach Studios, another Hackman Capital property encumbered by a $240-million loan from Deutsche Bank that the lender is in the process of selling. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 The Mavericks now begin a comprehensive search for their next head coach, hoping their next candidate is a promising figure with little regard for the spree of bad luck that has encumbered this organization. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2026 Many analysts noting the stock’s run-up due to news in March of price increases and a general sense of relief that the company wouldn’t be encumbered by a massive acquisition of traditional assets. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026 His brand of athleticism is predicated on a bouncy explosiveness that shouldn’t be encumbered with unnecessary bulking. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026 It will be encumbered neither by norms nor the exigencies that compel speech in a democratic society. — Casey Ryan Kelly, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026 The department is required to be paid fair market value for any land that is purchased, rented or encumbered, according to a September 2025 appraisal of the property. — Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026 Most of the properties, which are owned by LLCs, are delinquent on tax obligations while some are encumbered by mortgages that are in default —racking up penalties and interest, Seward added. — Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encumbered

Adjective

Bridges pointed to an encounter last year in which an officer threatened Breshari Faulkner with a Taser, pulled her from her car onto the ground and arrested her during a confrontation over a handicapped parking space in the same Walmart lot where Kohen was shot.

— TRAVIS LOLLER, Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026
Bridges pointed to an encounter last year in which an officer threatened Breshari Faulkner with a stun gun, pulled her from her car onto the ground and arrested her during a confrontation over a handicapped parking space in the same Walmart lot where Kohen was shot.

— Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

Definition of handicapped

Verb

But the lack of a proper contest between bat and ball in Pakistani domestic first-class cricket has starved locals of that preparation time and hampered the development of genuine pace.

— Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
However, difficult weather conditions hampered the search in the following days, as the service wrote in a subsequent update.

— Adam England, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampered

Verb

And sure as fate, three successive hits brought one run in, a walk loaded the bases, and the tying run came to the plate in the figure of Eli White.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski held the Dodgers to five hits and struck out Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to help lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 win over the Dodgers.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of loaded

Verb

Limited fiber-optic coverage left consumers with slow connections, which impeded digital transactions and the delivery of valuable offerings.

— Jim DeLoach, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Yet the setting of so many of the sculptures against the wall impeded the kind of looking the works demand.

— Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of impeded

Verb

Already burdened by debt, the family was surviving on his odd jobs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Investors found out about the company’s troubles in an explosive article published by The Cut last year, which reported that the company was burdened by internal power and relationship struggles.

— Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of burdened

Verb

Regulations still fail to properly safeguard community health, Alfaro said, especially for children whose development can be hindered after pesticide exposure.

— Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026
But Oleh’s transition did more or less coincide with the Russian invasion, which has severely hindered his ability to live freely and openly at a time when men are expected to serve their country in the armed forces.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of hindered

Verb

Following the events of 1989, mourners would converge on the same day every year in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district, to attend a vigil that filled multiple soccer pitches in the neighborhood’s Victoria Park with candlelight.

— Chris Lau, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Here, they’re filled with crab and served as a starter, or with goat's milk ice cream and local honey for dessert.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of filled

Verb

One night earlier in the tour, a woman Usher had brought onstage rebuked him, which embarrassed him.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
This isn’t a hypercar to smash lap records around the Nürburgring, but nor will it be embarrassed by a Porsche 911 GT3 at a track day.

— Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrassed

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Style

“Encumbered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encumbered. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of encumbered

adjective

verb

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