Meaning & use

burdened

adjective·Everyday

Weighed down by a heavy physical load or by a difficult responsibility or worry.

See it in a sentence

Burdened with debt from medical bills, the family cut every unnecessary expense they could find.

The mule looked burdened under sacks of grain piled higher than its back.

A note on using this word

Burdened is typically followed by "with" or "by" to name the load or responsibility causing the strain.

Words with a similar meaning

weighed downencumberedladen

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

unburdenedrelieved

Another way to use it

2. verb

To load someone or something with a heavy weight or difficult responsibility.

The new policy burdened small businesses with extra paperwork they could not afford.

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