ENCUMBRANCES Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

encumbrances

noun

plural of encumbrance

as in obstacles

something that makes movement or progress difficult without the encumbrance of a heavy backpack, I could sprint along the trail

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of encumbrances To Tommy, Anna and Molly are twittering encumbrances, idiotic in their insistence on good works and the good of man, their endless remorseful hedgings about the Communist Party. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Stopping the train to nowhere funding, using those funds to pay off our federal EDD debt so that businesses can reduce THEIR EDD encumbrances by the 1-5% they’re being charged now. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encumbrances

Noun

The difference, of course, is that none of the other mums in the trade-stand village had just had to navigate some of the world’s most difficult obstacles.

— Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
On one side, plaintiffs’ lawyers are working with local communities and advocacy groups to throw up legal obstacles to bog down development.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of obstacles

Noun

The split also means immigrants in some parts of the country are getting bail hearings while those in other places, including Texas and Louisiana, face additional hurdles to seek release.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Though the league has engaged in significant discussions with Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin about bringing a 33rd franchise to Houston or Austin, there are still a few hurdles to clear.

— Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of hurdles

Noun

Sitting around a table in the soundstage where the pilot for I Love Lucy was filmed, the six of them tailored the roles to the actors and infused the script with arguments, embarrassments, and confessions from their own relationships.

— Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026
The order to whitewash America’s historic sites of anything less than rosy about the nation’s past has led to some predictable embarrassments.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026

Definition of embarrassments

Noun

The Air Line Pilots Association wants the secondary barriers added to existing aircraft.

— Rio Yamat, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
There is a conflict between those who still believe in social barriers and those who believe that all actions should be based on a proper calculation of the return on investment.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of barriers

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encumbrance

encumbrances

encyclical

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“Encumbrances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encumbrances. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of encumbrances

noun

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