burden
A heavy load to carry, or a worry that weighs on your mind.
burden in a sentence
- The donkey trudged up the hill under the burden of three heavy sacks.
- Keeping the surprise party secret felt like a burden to Theo all week.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to burden?
- Aload
- Bease
- Ccomfort
- Drelief
Show the answer
A: load. The other three mean the opposite of burden.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to burden?
- Aload
- Bweight
- Cstrain
- Drelief
Show the answer
D: relief. The other three mean nearly the same as burden.
Words that mean something similar
load, weight, strain
Words that mean the opposite
relief, comfort, ease
More words about emotions & feelings
- captivate: To hold someone's attention completely because they find something wonderful.
- cherish: To love and care for something very much.
- composed: Calm and in control of your feelings.
- console: To comfort someone who is sad.
- contempt: A strong feeling that someone or something is worthless.
- content: Happy and satisfied with what you have.
- covet: To badly want something that belongs to someone else.
- crestfallen: Sad and disappointed after something has gone wrong.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test