encumbered
/ɪnˈkʌmbəd/
encumbered adjective: weighted down, loaded sufficiently to make slow. Also the simple past and past participle of encumber.
Adjective
encumbered (comparative more encumbered, superlative most encumbered)
- Weighted down, loaded sufficiently to make slow.
- A ship loaded with too much cargo is encumbered.
- Burdened by financial debt, mortgages, or other legal obligations.
- '[…] She was married — married against her inclination to my brother. Her fortune was large, and our family estate much encumbered. And this, I fear, is all that can be said for the conduct of one, who was at once her uncle and guardian. My brother did not deserve her; he did not even love her […]'1811, Jane Austen, chapter 31, in Sense and Sensibility
Also used as
encumbered is also the simple past and past participle of encumber.
Antonyms of encumbered
Forms of encumbered
| comparative | more encumbered |
|---|---|
| superlative | most encumbered |
Words formed from encumbered
Questions about encumbered
- What does encumbered mean?
- Encumbered means weighted down, loaded sufficiently to make slow.
- What part of speech is encumbered?
- Encumbered is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce encumbered?
- Encumbered is pronounced /ɪnˈkʌmbəd/ (UK).
Words near encumbered in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: encumbered (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.
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Cite this entry: “encumbered.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/encumbered. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.