congested

adjective

con·​gest·​ed kən-ˈje-stəd 

1

: extremely or excessively full or crowded

… it must be clear that the continuance is not being granted solely because of the court's congested calendar.

—The National Law Journal

Under the pressure of the weather conditions, congested traffic and wind shear, the crew never was able to stabilize the airplane on the ILS approach into JFK and had to execute a missed approach.

—Patrick R. Veillette

2

medical : containing an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus

congested lungs/sinuses

Examples of congested in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Travelers can also expect congested roadways and lookouts. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025

There’s nothing like Fifth Avenue during the holiday season with its festive windows, glittery holiday decorations and congested sidewalks crammed with shoppers, tourists and street vendors. —David Moin, Footwear News, 13 Nov. 2025

Visuals on local media showed thick plumes of smoke rising from a congested street as firefighters battled flames spreading to nearby vehicles. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

Part of the problem, Misra said, is the lifestyle in India’s sprawling and congested urban areas, where commutes can last as long as four hours round-trip. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for congested

• arrested
• attested
• contested
• detested
• digested
• divested
• infested
• ingested
• invested
• molested
• pretested
• protested

Medical Definition

congested

adjective

con·​gest·​ed kən-ˈjes-təd 

: containing an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus

congested mucous membranes

congested lungs