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 Similarly, Reddit’s ad-buying system was so onerous that staff handled the grunt work of uploading ads to the site, so as to shield advertisers from the system’s shortcomings. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 So, at both ends of the financial spectrum, American currency arguably has never been less useful and, for some, more onerous. María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Small business advocates say the reporting requirements are too onerous — and an example of congressional overreach. Mae Anderson, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 But those that are resisting say the requirements would be unduly onerous and burden them with hefty costs, red tape and new liabilities. Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The reality of the cap hit to a team signing a QB to that kind of deal — a team already over the cap limit — is onerous. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Many have avoided treatment of a latent infection after learning just how onerous the cure was. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 The taxation of block rewards is one example where the IRS policy overshot, and is excessively onerous. Korok Ray, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The vivid experience of hearing patients’ and caregivers’ anxious voices on call and helping bring them to a place of comfort has been onerous, yet at times uniquely gratifying. Jeffrey Millstein and Jeffrey Tokazewski, STAT, 22 Feb. 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 29 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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