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Synonyms

congested

British  
/ kənˈdʒɛstɪd /

adjective

  1. crowded to excess; overfull

  2. (of an organ or part) loaded or clogged with blood

  3. (of the nose) blocked with mucus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Explanation

If you are having trouble breathing, you keep sneezing, and your head feels like it might explode, you may very well be congested. In other words, fluid may have built up in your sinuses and your lungs. Being congested is a typical but very unpleasant symptom of the common cold. This adjective literally means “clogged,” “overcrowded,” or “overfull.” Congested is also used to describe arteries that are clogged, cities that are overpopulated, and roads that are full of traffic.

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Vocabulary lists containing congested

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Driven by a postpandemic influx of ultra-high-net-worth buyers, developers are equipping new luxury towers with rooftop helipads and deep-water docks—allowing residents to bypass Miami’s increasingly congested streets.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 27, 2026

Potential compromises: Because there are no major freeways, traffic on surface streets is often quite congested.

From MarketWatch Aug. 25, 2026

If Cox or Lawrence fill their batting boots this summer, then England's top-order will become congested.

From BBC Aug. 22, 2026

"At shelters... there are no walls or partitions between people. It's very congested."

From Barron's Jul. 30, 2026

Though he’s brought his sneakers with him, hoping to keep up with cross-country training, it is impossible, on these cracked, congested, chock-a-block streets, to run.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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