- past participle of lade.
laden
Americanadjective
verb (used with object)
verb
adjective
-
weighed down with a load; loaded
-
encumbered; burdened
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of laden
Explanation
Something that is laden is weighted down by something heavy, like an apple tree that's laden with fruit. Laden comes from the Old English word hladan, meaning "to load, heap." Think of the related word ladle, a big scoop you dip into something, such as soup or hot fudge. Laden can be a verb that describes using a ladle or otherwise filling or loading something up, like a teacher who ladens students with homework. Laden can be an adjective that describes the feeling of burden or stress from all that work.
Vocabulary lists containing laden
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"Of Mice and Men"
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NAEP Test Words
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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.
Tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed the ship's last port of call appeared to have been Izmail, in southern Ukraine, which it left on September 18 fully laden.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The internet is laden with Reddit arguments and academic examinations questioning Steinbeck’s portrait of her beastliness.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Soon, local men were standing guard in shifts at the two entrances into town, aiming their weapons at trucks laden with freshly picked avocados and cars packed with farmhands as they demanded identity documents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
It is topped with symbols of the Holy Trinity and laden with doves representing mankind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Before him stooped the old figure, white, shining now as if with some light kindled within, bent, laden with years, but holding a power beyond the strength of kings.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
