congested

adjective

con·​gest·​ed kən-ˈje-stəd 

1

: extremely or excessively full or crowded

The trains ferried orphaned and abandoned kids from the congested East to new families and new lives in the heartland.

… it must be clear that the continuance is not being granted solely because of the court's congested calendar.

—The National Law Journal

Under the pressure of the weather conditions, congested traffic and wind shear, the crew never was able to stabilize the airplane on the ILS approach into JFK and had to execute a missed approach.

—Patrick R. Veillette

2

medical : containing an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus

congested lungs/sinuses

Examples of congested in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This has led to what is arguably one of the most congested electric vehicle markets worldwide. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Świątek and Alcaraz both lifted singles titles at the Cincinnati Open on Monday before flying into New York on a private jet, making for a hectic and congested schedule with this year’s mixed doubles event taking place the week before the main tournament. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025

During Wolverhampton Wanderers’ FA Cup game against Bournemouth, a congested penalty area meant officials could not rely on the technology and there was an eight-minute delay. —Cerys Jones, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025

Their military vehicles squeeze through congested traffic, as onlookers snap pictures of the troops. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for congested

• arrested
• attested
• contested
• detested
• digested
• divested
• infested
• ingested
• invested
• molested
• pretested
• protested

Medical Definition

congested

adjective

con·​gest·​ed kən-ˈjes-təd 

: containing an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus

congested mucous membranes

congested lungs