unburden

/ɳn'bə:dn/

Học thuật

Thân thiện

The farmer unburdens the donkey by removing the heavy saddlebags.

Definition

Verb:
- To remove a burden or load from someone or something: To free from a physical weight or something that is carried.
- To relieve someone of a mental or emotional burden: To free someone from worry, guilt, or a secret by sharing it or confessing it.

Usage

Transitive Verb: "Unburden" is typically used with a direct object (the person or thing being freed from the burden).
- She unburdened the horse after the long journey. (She removed the saddle and packs from the horse.)
- He wanted to unburden his conscience by telling the truth. (He wanted to relieve his guilty feelings by confessing.)
Reflexive Use: Often used with the reflexive pronoun "oneself" to mean to free oneself of a worry or secret by talking about it.
- She needed to unburden herself to a trusted friend.

Examples

Physical Burden:
- Please help me unburden the cart so we can rest.
- The porter unburdened the traveler of his heavy suitcase.
Emotional/Mental Burden:
- In therapy, he finally unburdened himself of his childhood trauma.
- She felt lighter after unburdening her fears to her sister.

Advanced Usage

"Unburden oneself of something": This is a common construction emphasizing what specific worry, secret, or guilt is being confessed or released.
- He unburdened himself of the secret he had kept for years.
"Unburden one's mind/soul/heart": These phrases specifically refer to relieving psychological or emotional distress.
- Writing in a journal can be a way to unburden your mind.

Variants and Related Words

Unburdened (adjective): Describes someone or something that is free from a burden.
- He felt unburdened after the confession.
Burden (noun/verb): The weight or source of difficulty that is removed.
- The financial burden was too great. (Noun)
- I don't want to burden you with my problems. (Verb)

Synonyms

Relieve: To alleviate or free from pain, distress, or difficulty.
Disencumber: To free from a burden or impediment (more formal).
Confide: To tell someone a secret or private matter while trusting them not to repeat it (specific to sharing secrets).

Phrasal Verbs / Related Constructions

Unburden to (someone): To confess or share one's troubles with a specific person.
- She unburdened all her worries to her best friend.

Related Idioms

To get something off one's chest: (Idiom) To unburden oneself by talking about a problem or worry. This idiom is a more informal equivalent for the emotional sense of "unburden."
- I need to get this off my chest: I was the one who broke the vase.

The farmer unburdens the donkey by removing the heavy saddlebags.

Verb

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