burdened
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
bur·den
(bûr′dn)n.
1. Something that is carried.
2.
a. Something that is emotionally difficult to bear.
b. A source of great worry or stress; weight: The burden of economic sacrifice rests on the workers of the plant.
3. A responsibility or duty: The burden of organizing the campaign fell to me.
4. A principal or recurring idea; a theme: "The burden of what he said was to defend enthusiastically the conservative aristocracy" (J.A. Froude).
5. Music
a. A drone, as of a bagpipe or pedal point.
b. Archaic The chorus or refrain of a composition.
c. Archaic The bass accompaniment to a song.
6. Nautical
a. The amount of cargo that a vessel can carry.
b. The weight of the cargo carried by a vessel at one time.
7. The amount of a disease-causing entity present in an organism.
tr.v. bur·dened, bur·den·ing, bur·dens
1. To cause difficulty or distress to; distress or oppress.
2. To load or overload.
[Middle English, from Old English byrthen; see bher- in Indo-European roots. Noun, senses 4 and 5, influenced by bourdon.]
Synonyms: burden, affliction, albatross, cross, millstone, trial, tribulation
These nouns denote something onerous or troublesome: the burden of a guilty conscience; considered the television an affliction that destroyed the spirit of community; a poorly built home that became his albatross; an unhappy marriage that became a cross to bear; a routine duty that turned into a millstone; a troublemaker who is a trial to the teacher; suffered many tribulations in rising from poverty. See Also Synonyms at substance.
These nouns denote something onerous or troublesome: the burden of a guilty conscience; considered the television an affliction that destroyed the spirit of community; a poorly built home that became his albatross; an unhappy marriage that became a cross to bear; a routine duty that turned into a millstone; a troublemaker who is a trial to the teacher; suffered many tribulations in rising from poverty. See Also Synonyms at substance.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
burdened
(ˈbɜːdənd)adj
1. literary oppressed: burdened by guilt and regret.
2. physically encumbered: burdened with heavy camera gear.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. | burdened - bearing a heavy burden of work or difficulties or responsibilities; "she always felt burdened by the load of paper work" unburdened - not burdened with difficulties or responsibilities; "unburdened by an overarching theory"- Alex Inkeles |
| 2. | burdened - bearing a physically heavy weight or load; "tree limbs burdened with ice"; "a heavy-laden cart"; "loaded down with packages" encumbered - loaded to excess or impeded by a heavy load; "a summer resort...encumbered with great clapboard-and-stucco hotels"- A.J.Liebling; "a hiker encumbered with a heavy backpack"; "an encumbered estate" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
burdened
adjective laden, weighed down, loaded, freighted, charged They arrived burdened by bags and food baskets.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002