Saddle — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈsa-dᵊl/ sad·dle

Meaning & Definition of Saddle

Saddle (noun)

  1. a girthed usually padded and leather-covered seat for the rider of an animal (such as a horse)
  2. a part of a driving harness comparable to a saddle that is used to keep the breeching in place
  3. a seat to be straddled by the rider of a vehicle (such as a bicycle)

Saddle (verb)

  1. to put a saddle on
  2. to place under a burden or encumbrance
  3. to place (an onerous responsibility) on a person or group

Saddle (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to place a weight or burden on

    "to the social worker it seemed as though her supervisor had once again saddled her with a truly hopeless case"

    similar: burden, encumber, freight, lade, laden, load, lumber, weight
    related: clog, clutter, fill, pack, heap, mound, pile, stack, press, weigh, strain, tax, overburden, overload, overtax, surcharge, hamper, handicap, afflict, oppress
    opposite: disburden, discharge, disencumber, unburden, unlade, unload
    near: alleviate, ease, lighten, relieve

Saddle (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage

    "the next day's hike was a stiff climb out of the saddle where they had camped for the night"

    similar: canyon, col, couloir, defile, flume, gap, gill (British), gorge, gulch, gulf, kloof (South African), linn (chiefly Scottish), notch, pass, ravine
    related: abyss, chasm, cirque, cleft, crevasse, crevice, cwm (chiefly British), fissure, combe (British), dale, dell, glen, hollow, shut-in, vale, valley, basin, floodplain, kettle, arroyo, barranca, coulee, draw, gully, gutter, nullah, trench, trough, wadi, wash (West)

Related Entry: Saddle horse (noun)

Saddle horse is a different word from Saddle. The synonyms below are for saddle horse, not for saddle.

  1. as in quarter horse, cutting horse

    similar: charger, courser, cow pony, cutting horse, galloper, hack, hackney, mount, packhorse, prancer, quarter horse, racehorse, trotter, warhorse, workhorse, bronco, mustang, pony, bay, black, buckskin, chestnut, dun, palomino, pinto, roan, skewbald, sorrel, colt, filly, foal, gelding, mare, stallion, cob, dobbin, jade, plug, skate, equid, equine, horse, nag, steed

Related Entry: Saddle horses (noun)

Saddle horses is a different word from Saddle. The synonyms below are for saddle horses, not for saddle.

  1. as in quarter horses, cutting horses

    similar: chargers, coursers, cow ponies, cutting horses, gallopers, hackneys, hacks, mounts, packhorses, prancers, quarter horses, racehorses, trotters, warhorses, workhorses, broncos, mustangs, ponies, bays, blacks, buckskins, chestnuts, duns, palominos, pintos, roans, skewbalds, sorrels, colts, fillies, foals, geldings, mares, stallions, cobs, dobbins, jades, plugs, skates, equids, equines, horses, nags, steeds

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Saddle

The most common words with a similar meaning to Saddle:

British: gill
South African: kloof
Chiefly Scottish: linn
burden, encumber, freight, lade, laden, load, lumber, weight, canyon, col, couloir, defile, flume, gap, gorge, gulch, gulf, notch, pass, ravine

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Saddle

Words with the opposite meaning of Saddle:

disburden, discharge, disencumber, unburden, unlade, unload

Related Words for Saddle

clog, clutter, fill, pack, heap, mound, pile, stack, press, weigh, strain, tax, overburden, overload, overtax, surcharge, hamper, handicap, afflict, oppress, abyss, chasm, cirque, cleft, crevasse, crevice, cwm, fissure, combe, dale

Near Antonyms of Saddle

alleviate, ease, lighten, relieve

Word Forms of Saddle

Inflections: saddled, saddling

Derived words: saddleless (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Saddle

Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol; akin to Old High German satul saddle

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Saddle

saddle blanket, saddle horn, saddle horse, saddle leather, saddle seat, saddle shoe, saddle soap, saddle sore

Frequently Asked Questions about Saddle

What does "Saddle" mean?

"Saddle" means a girthed usually padded and leather-covered seat for the rider of an animal (such as a horse). As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a girthed usually padded and leather-covered seat for the rider of an animal (such as a horse). It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Saddle"?

Other words for "Saddle" include burden, encumber, freight, lade, laden, load, lumber and weight. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Saddle" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Saddle"?

There are 73 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Saddle". Common alternatives include burden, encumber, freight, lade, laden, load, lumber, weight, canyon and col.

What is the opposite of "Saddle"?

Antonyms of "Saddle" include disburden, discharge, disencumber, unburden, unlade and unload. Near antonyms include alleviate, ease, lighten and relieve.

How do you use "Saddle" in a sentence?

Examples of "Saddle" in a sentence: "to the social worker it seemed as though her supervisor had once again saddled her with a truly hopeless case"; "the next day's hike was a stiff climb out of the saddle where they had camped for the night".

Is "Saddle" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Saddle" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Saddle"?

"Saddle" is pronounced /ˈsa-dᵊl/ and divided into syllables as sad·dle.

What is the origin of the word "Saddle"?

"Saddle" comes from Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol; akin to Old High German satul saddle. First known use: before 12th century.