INCUMBRANCE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does incumbrance mean? 

• INCUMBRANCE (noun)
  The noun INCUMBRANCE has 3 senses:

1. a charge against property (as a lien or mortgage)

2. an onerous or difficult concern

3. any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome

  Familiarity information: INCUMBRANCE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INCUMBRANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A charge against property (as a lien or mortgage)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

encumbrance; incumbrance

Hypernyms ("incumbrance" is a kind of...):

charge (financial liabilities (such as a tax))

Sense 2

Meaning:

An onerous or difficult concern

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

burden; encumbrance; incumbrance; load; onus

Context example:

that's a load off my mind

Hypernyms ("incumbrance" is a kind of...):

concern; headache; vexation; worry (something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "incumbrance"):

dead weight (an oppressive encumbrance)

fardel (a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle))

imposition (an uncalled-for burden)

pill (something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

encumbrance; hinderance; hindrance; hitch; incumbrance; interference; preventative; preventive

Hypernyms ("incumbrance" is a kind of...):

impediment; impedimenta; obstructer; obstruction; obstructor (any structure that makes progress difficult)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "incumbrance"):

clog (any object that acts as a hindrance or obstruction)

speed bump (a hindrance to speeding created by a crosswise ridge in the surface of a roadway)

 Context examples 

He would be as little incumbrance as possible to Captain and Mrs Harville; but as to leaving his sister in such a state, he neither ought, nor would.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)