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onerous

adjective
oner·​ous | \ ˈä-nə-rəs How to pronounce onerous (audio) , ˈō- How to pronounce onerous (audio) \

Definition of onerous

1 : involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : troublesome an onerous task onerous regulations an onerous mortgage
2 : having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages an onerous contract
Other Words from onerous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym What is the Difference Between onerous, burdensome, oppressive? More Example Sentences Learn More about onerous

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Other Words from onerous

onerously adverb
onerousness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for onerous

onerous, burdensome, oppressive, exacting mean imposing hardship. onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful. the onerous task of cleaning up the mess burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain. burdensome responsibilities oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed. the oppressive tyranny of a police state exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding. an exacting employer

What is the Difference Between onerous, burdensome, oppressive?

Onerous, which traces back to the Latin onus, meaning "burden," has several synonyms. Like "onerous," "burdensome," "oppressive," and "exacting" all refer to something which imposes a hardship of some kind. "Onerous" stresses a sense of laboriousness and heaviness, especially because something is distasteful ("the onerous task of cleaning up the mess"). "Burdensome" suggests something which causes mental as well as physical strain ("the burdensome responsibilities of being a supervisor"). "Oppressive" implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed ("the oppressive tyranny of a police state"). "Exacting" suggests rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding ("an exacting employer who requires great attention to detail").

Examples of onerous in a Sentence

Then everyone was asked, how fairly did you act?, from "extremely unfairly" (1) to "extremely fairly" (7). Next they watched someone else make the assignments, and judged that person's ethics. Selflessness was a virtual no-show: 87 out of 94 people opted for the easy task and gave the next guy the onerous one. — Sharon Begley, Newsweek, 23 June 2008 The first hitch occurred when the state education department took a full six months after the new law was adopted to issue 12 pages of onerous rules and regulations governing Arkansas charter schools. — Wendy Cole, Time, 10 June 2000 Environmentalism poses stark issues of survival, for humankind and for all those other tribes of creatures over which we have exercised our onerous dominion. — Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam, 1998 Rap tested well, but early on the promoters said they wouldn't be booking any gangsta rap, a move at least partly designed to calm security concerns during the onerous process of complying with the strict mass-gathering laws enacted in the wake of the 1969 festival. — John Milward, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 1994 The government imposed onerous taxes on imports. had the onerous and stressful job of notifying the families of soldiers killed in action
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Canadian federal law requires anyone who wants to own a gun to get a license, which means passing a background check and taking safety training — a process about as onerous as getting a driver’s license. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Is there something wrong with us?," 7 Aug. 2019 Sometimes, a regulation is really straightforward, simple, not terribly onerous to comply with, and not terribly destructive in its consequences. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Welcome to the Machine," 26 July 2019 The market for generics can respond to policy changes with some speed because copying a drug is much less onerous than new drug discovery and approval. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Sticking it to Pharma—With Competition," 19 Nov. 2018 The board granted the special permit in May, but included one condition that Herb Chambers deems to be too onerous. — Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Herb Chambers squares off against Burlington planning board over dealership project," 28 Aug. 2019 Disabled veterans can already apply for loan forgiveness, but the White House calls the process onerous. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, "Trump signs memo to eliminate disabled veterans' student loan debt," 21 Aug. 2019 But because of the onerous certification process, few primary care clinicians offer the medication. — Anna North, Vox, "America’s first generic abortion pill, explained," 20 Aug. 2019 While many of the emailed messages were standard fare for the television news business, dealing with the onerous logistics of coordinating newsmaker interviews, some revealed an unusual closeness between the agency and the networks. — Jeremy Barr, The Hollywood Reporter, ""You're the Man": Fox News Emails With Trump Treasury Department Reveal Coziness," 15 Aug. 2019 Westbrook has his own health concerns, given his multiple knee surgeries, and his $168 million contract over the next four years is among the league's most onerous. — Ben Golliver, courant.com, "Rockets reunite Harden and Westbrook, trading old problems for new ones," 12 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'onerous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of onerous

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for onerous

Middle English, from Middle French honereus, from Latin onerosus, from oner-, onus burden; akin to Sanskrit anas cart

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More Definitions for onerous

onerous

adjective
How to pronounce onerous (audio) How to pronounce onerous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of onerous

formal : difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with

See the full definition for onerous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

onerous

adjective
oner·​ous | \ ˈä-nə-rəs How to pronounce onerous (audio) , ˈō-\

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