Overloaded

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The condition involving an entity receiving more weight or tasks than it can efficiently manage
2. A situation where there is an imbalance caused by excessive burdens or responsibilities surpassing the limits of capability
3. Carrying a weight or load beyond what is safe or manageable ; assigned more tasks or responsibilities than can be effectively handled

Etymology: "Overloaded" is the past participle of "overload," which is itself built from "over-" and "load." The "over-" element traces back through Old English "ofer" to a Proto-Germanic root shared by many English words, and its sense of "above" or "beyond" is what gives "overload" its meaning of putting more on something than it can bear. "Load," a much older word, lies at the heart of the combination, and the pairing is transparent: to overload is to load past the limit. Because "overloaded" describes something carrying too much, it is a straightforward case of an English compound rather than a borrowing. The word was formed by joining two native English elements, so there is no foreign detour to unravel here. The meaning follows the parts closely, with the sense of excess coming directly from "over-."

Synonyms: burdened, overburdened, loaded, weighed down, encumbered