unburdening

verb

present participle of unburden
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 unburdening The narrator observes that being able to share the big secret with someone brings unburdening relief. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026 Prevc is left with only history after unburdening the weight of his promise. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026 But Nevils is doing more than just unburdening herself. — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026 Of Landfair unburdening herself of the anchor that came with saying her name aloud. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026 Maybe that’s why companies like RadAI, which focus on unburdening the physician’s workflow rather than subbing in for their expertise, have been so successful. — Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unburdening
  1. unloading
  2. relieving
  3. ridding
  4. freeing
Verb
  • With resellers scooping up a huge swath of the Open’s face-value tickets and unloading them at whatever price the (admittedly flush) market will bear, more and more fans in Ashe have little or no interest in what’s actually happening on the court.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Doxsee’s job consisted mostly of physical labor—unloading boxcars of grain and other materials, hauling them around the factory, and working the bagging machine on the building’s top floor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of unloading
Verb
  • Party leaders laid out proposals for relieving poverty, improving social security, and reforming the education system and admitted members from backgrounds unusual for the CHP, including a Kurdish activist and a union leader.
    — Nick TaborAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Pressure-relieving foam sits atop a section of supportive microcoils with a durable foam border and adjustable responsive air chambers, ensuring a personalized balance of comfort and stability.
    — V BRAND STORIES, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of relieving
Verb
  • The city is continuing to replace lead pipes with copper ones in the older houses in the community with funds from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), ridding the community of pipes that might harm people or contaminate water.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The fatal crash has led city leaders and animal rights activists to take a new look at ridding New York of carriage horses.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of ridding
Verb
  • United regularly exploited Everton’s 4-1-4-1 system, sending runners down the side of Garner as the solitary No 6 and freeing Rashford in his mismatch up against Rohl.
    — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Her existence is solitary by design, freeing her up to disappear into her studies at all hours of the night, the doors of every institution seemingly always ready to welcome her into its stacks and viewing stations and leather reading chairs.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of freeing

Browse Nearby Words

unburdened
unburdening
unburdens
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Cite this Entry

“Unburdening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unburdening. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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