unencumbered
Americanadjective
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not impeded, slowed down, or retarded; free to move, advance, or go forward.
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having few or no burdens or obligations.
-
not burdened or weighed down, as with bulky or heavy objects.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unencumbered
Explanation
When you're unencumbered, you're free of baggage: either you literally don't have a lot of stuff to carry, or you're emotionally care-free. This word has two closely related uses. A person is unencumbered when they're traveling light — they're not struggling to carry 5 suitcases. But if you have no worries or responsibilities, you're also unencumbered — nothing is weighing on your mind. In both senses being unencumbered means you feel light: either literally or emotionally.
Vocabulary lists containing unencumbered
The Things They Carried
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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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.
Unencumbered by her own directorial scheme, Elliott leans into the freedom of musical storytelling, a mode in which realism is dabbed on rather than studiously applied.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2024
Unencumbered by a political background, Mr. Ramaswamy issues quick, timely responses to societal events, unafraid of what blowback he may receive.
From Washington Times • Mar. 28, 2023
Unencumbered at 5-foot-11, he will go down as an influential quarterback in advancing the game past its height bias.
From Washington Post • Sep. 21, 2020
Unencumbered by those constraints, the film takes a few minor liberties when it recreates the contest.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2020
Unencumbered with the heavy arcades that darken Padua, the marble fronts of its palaces rise to a goodly height, covered with rich but exceedingly sweet and chaste designs.
From Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber Or The Influence of Romanism on Trade, Justice, and Knowledge by Wylie, James Aitken
Definitions 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.
