| / English Dictionary |
ENCUMBRANCE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome
Synonyms:
encumbrance; hinderance; hindrance; hitch; incumbrance; interference; preventative; preventive
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("encumbrance" is a kind of...):
impediment; impedimenta; obstructer; obstruction; obstructor (any structure that makes progress difficult)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "encumbrance"):
clog (any object that acts as a hindrance or obstruction)
speed bump (a hindrance to speeding created by a crosswise ridge in the surface of a roadway)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An onerous or difficult concern
Example:
that's a load off my mind
Synonyms:
burden; encumbrance; incumbrance; load; onus
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("encumbrance" is a kind of...):
concern; headache; vexation; worry (something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "encumbrance"):
dead weight (an oppressive encumbrance)
fardel (a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle))
imposition (an uncalled-for burden)
pill (something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A charge against property (as a lien or mortgage)
Synonyms:
encumbrance; incumbrance
Classified under:
Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession
Hypernyms ("encumbrance" is a kind of...):
charge (financial liabilities (such as a tax))
Context examples:
Mr. Weston had accompanied her to Mrs. Bates's, and gone through his share of this essential attention most handsomely; but she having then induced Miss Fairfax to join her in an airing, was now returned with much more to say, and much more to say with satisfaction, than a quarter of an hour spent in Mrs. Bates's parlour, with all the encumbrance of awkward feelings, could have afforded.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
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