# laden

/ˈɫeɪdən/ (US) · /lˈeɪdən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/laden
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. carrying a heavy load

adjective · CEFR B2

carrying a lot of heavy things or burdened by a weight.

For teachers: heavily loaded or weighed down by a physical burden.

- The apple trees were laden with fruit by the end of the summer.
- The pack animals, heavily laden with supplies for the winter expedition, struggled to maintain their footing on the narrow mountain pass.

Usage: Often followed by the preposition 'with'.

### 2. full of meaning or emotion

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

filled with a lot of a particular quality, such as a feeling or a hidden meaning.

For teachers: carrying a significant figurative or emotional weight; full of specific implications.

- There was a long, laden silence after she asked the difficult question.
- His voice was laden with regret as he recounted the missed opportunities of his youth during the final interview.

Usage: Commonly used to describe abstract nouns like 'silence', 'atmosphere', or 'voice'.

### 3. chemical saturation

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

containing a high amount of a specific substance, like a gas or a liquid.

For teachers: saturated with or carrying a specific chemical component, often in the form of an adsorbate.

- The moisture-laden air made the room feel very damp and uncomfortable.
- The process involves passing the solvent-laden gas through a carbon filter to remove volatile organic compounds before release.

## Examples

- The trees are laden with heavy snow.
- The atmosphere in the room was laden with tension as they waited for the results.
- The merchant ships returned to the harbor laden with exotic spices and fine silks from the East, their hulls sitting low in the water from the immense weight.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.