To place an excessive or overwhelming load or responsibility on someone or something; to subject to too much stress or strain. This can apply to physical loads, emotional pressures, financial obligations, or any situation where the demands exceed the capacity to cope. Overburdening often results in exhaustion, breakdown, or inefficiency, making it crucial to recognize and address excessive pressures to maintain balance and well-being. The term encompasses both the act of placing the burden and the state of being weighed down by it. Considering the effects of overloading, or applying too much, the action has negative connotations implying a lack of support, consideration or empathy.
Overburdens meaning with examples
- The company's relentless pursuit of profit overburdens its employees. They are forced to work excessive hours, leading to widespread burnout and a decline in morale. This negatively impacts productivity as people are exhausted. Their constant focus on increasing sales, and meeting unachievable targets, is simply unfair, and demonstrates the company's lack of concern.
- The charity, with its limited resources, risks overburdens itself with too many projects. While their aims are admirable, and the desire to help is present, the scale of operations becomes unmanageable, diluting the impact, and placing huge strains on available staff. This ultimately prevents the organisation from effectively achieving its goals.
- The student's schedule, packed with classes, extracurricular activities, and part-time work, overburdens her. There is no time to relax, and she is struggling to maintain her grades. This constant pressure takes its toll, leaving her feeling stressed, overwhelmed and ultimately exhausted, and prone to illness.
- The old infrastructure of the city overburdens the current power grid. During peak hours, this creates frequent blackouts and brownouts. This highlights the urgent need for upgrades and the need to re-evaluate the impact of ongoing development, and to find solutions that ensure that the systems can cope.
- The government's new tax policy overburdens small businesses, pushing many to the brink of collapse. These additional fees, added to other economic pressures, are having a serious negative impact on the business, and the policy is counterproductive, destroying jobs and limiting investment.