as in obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult
without the encumbrance of a heavy backpack, I could sprint along the trail
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encumbrances
Noun
-
But the obstacles are overwhelming.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Feb. 2026 -
Why cruise lines conduct safety drills Safety drills, also called muster drills, are not the brainchild of a sadistic cruise ship officer, trying to place obstacles between cruise guests and their sunbathing and cocktails.—
Erica Silverstein,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Raised in a rural village four hours from the Algerian capital, Khelif sold scrap copper as a young girl to fund her training, overcoming significant economic and societal hurdles.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Even with the rapidly decreasing price of launching things into space, there are incredible technological and financial hurdles that stand in the way of exploiting resources in orbit.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Check slopes for bare spots, holes and obstructions, like rocks, fences or poles.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Flat roofs with parapets (side walls), stepped roofs, saw-tooth roofs, and roofs with chimneys and other obstructions on top can collect snow in an unbalanced manner, the agency said.—
Bailey Allen,
The Providence Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But anomaly detection may have prevented embarrassments like the one at OPERA.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
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All the teams ran largely reliably and there were no major embarrassments playing out in front of the public and the media.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At this scale, electrons start tunneling through barriers meant to contain them, causing current leakage even when devices are off.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Blake Snell is walking along one of the barriers giving every nearby fan — every one — a fist bump.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Encumbrances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encumbrances. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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