onerous

adjective

oner·​ous ˈä-nə-rəs How to pronounce onerous (audio) ˈō- How to pronounce onerous (audio)
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
onerously adverb
onerousness noun

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What is the Difference Between onerous, burdensome, oppressive?

Not to go too heavy on the etymology, but the story behind onerous is at once straightforward and, dare we say, poetic. But perhaps that’s putting the cart before the horse. Onerous rolled into the English language during the 14th century, via Middle French, from the Latin adjective onerosus, "burdensome." That word, in turn, was hitched to the noun onus, meaning "burden" (source too of our word onus, which usually refers to a burden or responsibility). Onus shares an ancient root with the Sanskrit word anas, meaning "cart." So although onerous stresses a sense of laboriousness and often figurative heaviness (especially because something is distasteful, e.g. "the onerous task of cleaning up the mess"), it has a deep connection with a literal weight borne by a person, horse, or other beast of burden.

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

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
Recent Examples on the Web Few athletes will be more deserving of their place at this year’s Games, which get underway in July, than May, and few will have had such an onerous, circuitous path to get there. Amanda Davies, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 It has often been called out as one of the more onerous burdens imposed on millions of developing country farmers. Tilak Doshi, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Last month, the leaders of Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia and the Czech Republic called for greater joint procurement and immediate arms donations to Ukraine while the continent undergoes the onerous process of rebuilding its defense industry prowess. Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024 The onerous workloads force site inspectors to rush through cases. Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 Subscription costs would cover costs and institutions would not pay the current onerous fees currently incurred. Torie Bosch, STAT, 17 Feb. 2024 Moore’s camp argues that the bill reduces onerous red tape for data centers, which can be potent economic drivers, by exempting their large arrays of backup generators from a lengthy review process by the Maryland Public Service Commission. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024 The state government’s massive taxation and spending imposes onerous luxury costs that harm productivity and are not self-sustaining for prosperity. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024 Exemptions are also available for companies offering prevailing wages under state law and those working on projects of under 10,000 square feet, with city staff claiming that the rule would be too onerous for companies working on small renovations or remodeling. Gabriel Greschler, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'onerous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of onerous was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near onerous

Cite this Entry

“Onerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onerous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

onerous

adjective
: being difficult and unpleasant to do or to deal with
an onerous task
onerously adverb

Legal Definition

onerous

adjective
oner·​ous ˈä-nə-rəs, ˈō- How to pronounce onerous (audio)
1
: excessively burdensome or costly
2
: involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration
an onerous donation
used chiefly in the civil law of Louisiana
see also onerous contract at contract compare gratuitous

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