as in loaded
to place a weight or burden on
to the social worker it seemed as though her supervisor had once again saddled her with a truly hopeless case
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Recent Examples of saddled
The second-oldest president in American history is saddled by sub-40% approval ratings and is far underwater even on his handling of the economy and immigration, which were at one time his strong suits.
—
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
What if the Browns never saddled Stefanski with Deshaun Watson’s contract?
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The veteran attorney, her husband Marc Agnifilo and their co-counsel Jacob Kaplan say prosecutors unfairly saddled Mangione with two murder cases and enhanced charges because of the publicity his case received.
—Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
The job market has been sluggish, while high interest rates and a housing affordability crisis have saddled millions in debt and frozen out would-be homebuyers.
—Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
That saddled the combined company with an untenable $50 billion in debt even as cable networks cratered and viewers flocked to streaming.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2026
Newsom said in September that Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amounted to costly political theater that saddled taxpayers with a nearly $120-million bill.
—Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
That second-half image — Peterson saddled on a folding chair, a trainer massaging his leg, assistant coach Jeremy Case pacing the sideline presumably to gather some updates — provided a reminder that in a moment’s notice, this Kansas team will need to be more than Darryn Peterson.
—Sam McDowell December 7, Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025
In various shadows of the things that have been, Chris Hoch plays young Ebenezer’s father as an abusive drunk, a schemer who saddled the family with debt.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
What if the Browns never saddled Stefanski with Deshaun Watson’s contract?
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The veteran attorney, her husband Marc Agnifilo and their co-counsel Jacob Kaplan say prosecutors unfairly saddled Mangione with two murder cases and enhanced charges because of the publicity his case received.
—Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
The job market has been sluggish, while high interest rates and a housing affordability crisis have saddled millions in debt and frozen out would-be homebuyers.
—Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
That saddled the combined company with an untenable $50 billion in debt even as cable networks cratered and viewers flocked to streaming.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2026
Newsom said in September that Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amounted to costly political theater that saddled taxpayers with a nearly $120-million bill.
—Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
That second-half image — Peterson saddled on a folding chair, a trainer massaging his leg, assistant coach Jeremy Case pacing the sideline presumably to gather some updates — provided a reminder that in a moment’s notice, this Kansas team will need to be more than Darryn Peterson.
—Sam McDowell December 7, Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025
In various shadows of the things that have been, Chris Hoch plays young Ebenezer’s father as an abusive drunk, a schemer who saddled the family with debt.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saddled
Verb
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The gun was not loaded, Boyd said, and a preliminary investigation determined that there was no threat to specific students or the school.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2026
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Outfielder Travis Chestnut laid down a bunt that loaded the bases.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Following the 2008 recession, the company was burdened by high real estate costs and struggling to keep up with changing ways of shopping.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
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What before was a straightforward process almost entirely paid for by insurance or public dollars is likely to become burdened by more paperwork, higher out-of-pocket costs, and fewer choices.—
Sophia Newcomer,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Attack drones filled urgent gaps in Ukraine’s infantry defenses and artillery stocks in late 2023.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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Parents and community partners worked together to build gardens, a mud kitchen and a 75-tree learning forest filled with native species.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Saddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saddled. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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