encumbrance

/ɛnˈkʌmbrɪns/

/ɛnˈkʌmbrɪns/

Other forms: encumbrances

A burden or serious concern is an encumbrance. Your being five feet tall could be an encumbrance when it comes to your dream of playing professional basketball.

Something that blocks you from doing what you want to do is an encumbrance, like the rocky soil in your garden that makes it impossible for you to grow tomatoes. A burden or hindrance can also be an encumbrance, the way wearing thick knitted mittens makes it harder for you to dial your cell phone — your mittens are an encumbrance. The word comes from the Latin word incombrare, which means "barricade or obstacle."

Definitions of encumbrance

1. noun

   an onerous or difficult concern
   synonyms: burden, incumbrance, load, onus

   types:

   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

   type of:

   concern, headache, vexation, worry

   something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
2. noun

   any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome
   synonyms: hinderance, hindrance, hitch, incumbrance, interference, preventative, preventive

   types:

   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

   type of:

   impediment, impedimenta, obstructer, obstruction, obstructor

   any structure that makes progress difficult
3. noun

   a charge against property (as a lien or mortgage)
   synonyms: incumbrance

   type of:

   charge

   financial liabilities (such as a tax)