1
as in unloading
to empty or rid of cargo
the crew was frantically unburdening the ship in an attempt to save it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in relieving
to set (a person or thing) free of something that encumbers
a generous friend unburdened her of that particular financial worry
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Recent Examples of unburdening
Working through his doubts with the help of others allowed Meinerz to reach an unburdening conclusion, one that helped turn him into a first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2024.
—
Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unburdening
Verb
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Bay and La, along with Pah Reh, 21, and Luh Reh, 23, were arrested and charged with murder after Kaing was killed by bullet from a nearby shooting while unloading food from her car outside her Xenia Street apartment complex on July 15, 2022.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
6 Nov. 2025
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Studies conducted in recent years have shown that women in heterosexual couples predominantly take on the brunt of domestic tasks—managing the family’s calendar, unloading the dishwasher, feeding pets.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That goal against the Predators in the Flyers’ 3-1 win in Nashville was particularly relieving.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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There are five plush layers in total, starting with a pressure-relieving base and topped off with a cool, soft wool surface.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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An inevitable part of lawn maintenance, ridding your space of weeds often takes hours to do and requires bending, straining, and stretching in less-than-ideal positions to get the job done.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
23 Sep. 2025
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Many prayed and called for ridding themselves of the divisive, violent rhetoric of the past week.—
Jolene Almendarez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sketches such as last night’s Oval Office monologue compact the coal of the administration’s info dumps into little diamonds of comedy, freeing the writers and cast to pursue more escapist fare.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
9 Nov. 2025
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If confirmed by future research, the approach could provide a powerful new weapon to fight heart disease, the nation's leading killer, freeing people from the need to take statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs every day.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unburdening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unburdening. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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