Library / 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))

Credits

 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)