Ridden

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɪd.n̩/

Definitions

1. Experiencing the effects of something burdensome or distressing, often resulting in a prolonged state of suffering or concern
2. Being heavily influenced by overwhelming feelings or adversities that persist and shape one's experiences
3. Suffering under the strong influence or control of a harmful or troubling condition

Etymology: "Ridden" is the past participle of "ride," and its more unusual sense, "weighed down by" as in "crime-ridden" or "debt-ridden," is a separate, later development from the same root. The verb "ride" goes back to Old English "ridan," and the participle took the form it has now by adding the "-en" ending that marks past participles in many older English verbs. The sense "weighed down by" comes from a different verb, "rid," which once meant "to free from" or "to clear away." Its past participle, "rid," shows up in the familiar phrase "get rid of." Combining "rid" with "-en" produced "ridden," and this form was used in the sense of being troubled or oppressed by something, as in "fever-ridden" or "plague-ridden." Because "ride" and "rid" look so alike, the two words are easy to confuse, but their histories are separate.

Synonyms: occupied, infested, overrun, beset, teeming

Antonyms: free, unoccupied, vacant, clear, devoid