unencumbered

American

[uhn-en-kuhm-berd] / ˌʌn ɛnˈkʌm bərd /

adjective

not impeded, slowed down, or retarded; free to move, advance, or go forward.
having few or no burdens or obligations.
not burdened or weighed down, as with bulky or heavy objects.

unencumbered British

/ ˌʌnɪnˈkʌmbəd /

adjective

not burdened, impeded, or hampered

"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

Other Word Forms

unencumbering adjective

Etymology

Origin of unencumbered

un- ¹ + encumbered

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.

Firth, for instance, but mostly this is a book unencumbered by visible scholarship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

If Daisy is with me, I love to not take my phone because I like to be unencumbered and to not think about it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

The lyrics are simple, unencumbered by a traditional musical’s desire to grab the audience with a catchy tune.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2025

“The main constraint in this quest for AI dominance is access to power, creating a sellers’ market for those with unencumbered, gigawatt-scale generation deliverable in the next 24 months,” wrote John C. Hodulik of UBS.

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

Francis, alone of us all, was unencumbered and occasionally he stopped by to see me.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023