encumbrance
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A heavy load or problem that makes things difficult.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehnkuhmbruhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɛnˈkʌmbɹəns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Something that encumbers; a burden that must be carried.
The state or condition of being encumbered.
An interest, right, burden, or liability attached to a title of land, such as a lien or mortgage.
verb
law
To apply an encumbrance to (property, etc.).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Something that encumbers; a burden that must be carried.
Used this way, encumbrance is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- incumbrance , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.