deadweight
2
5.8
- noun
- /ˈdɛdˌweɪt/
:
peso muerto
- Last week, the nurse weighed him—93 pounds—but he is deadweight against her as they shuffle across the room, sinking with each step, his knees giving way beneath him.
Examples
-
But the reactionary deadweight remains, and the rural/urban divide remains.
Blog text (27) -
The outdated regulations felt like deadweight, hindering the company's ability to innovate.
-
Try and ditch the deadweight if you can.
-
I'm cutting loose a lot of deadweight.
-
His briefcase was a deadweight as he walked down the hill toward the crossroads.
Fiction book (1991) -
Having so many unresolved issues became a deadweight on the team's progress toward their goals.
-
The constant distractions in the office were a deadweight, slowing down productivity significantly.
Synonyms
482
3.4
A heavy load or something that causes worry and difficulty
139
1.0
A heavy object used for exercise or to hold things down
91
4.1
A heavy burden of worry or responsibility
22
4.4
A heavy object that is hard to carry, or a burden that slows progress
5
8.1
A heavy burden that makes life hard
1
4.9
A heavy feeling of pressure because you have important duties
1
9.9
Extra things you carry that slow you down
1
6.6
A heavy load of work or problems that a person cannot manage
Antonyms
How Burdensome
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Deadweight comes from the two simple parts dead ('not moving' or 'not active') and weight ('a heavy thing'). So a 'deadweight' paints the picture of something heavy that does not help you move, which is why we use it for a person or thing that slows progress or is a burden.