onerous

adjective oner·ous \ ˈä-nə-rəs , ˈō- \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

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Examples: onerous in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What is the Difference Between onerous, burdensome, oppressive?

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

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onerously

adverb

—

onerousness

noun

See onerous defined for English-language learners

See onerous defined for kids

onerous was our Word of the Day on 07/12/2017. Hear the podcast!

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 of onerous from the Web

As more Americans shop online, the company’s cavernous suburban stores became outdated and the $5 billion debt from its private equity owners too onerous.

— michael corkery, New York Times, "At Toys ‘R’ Us, ‘There Is Nothing Left’: The Day It Closed for Good," 30 June 2018
Legislators were undeterred by aggressive lobbying from animal research groups, which claim the bills vilify labs and make scientific studies more onerous.

— david grimm, Science | AAAS, "‘A cataclysmic wake-up call’: Can more candor win back support for animal research?," 26 June 2018
Senate President Steve Sweeney also believes a millionaire’s tax would be too onerous in light of the recent federal tax law, which capped previously unlimited annual state and local tax deductions at $10,000.

— kate king, WSJ, "New Jersey Budget Deadline Looms With No Deal in Sight," 25 June 2018
Travel agencies, and particularly online agencies, like to pretend we’re all victims of the airline industry’s onerous ticket rules.

— christopher elliott, miamiherald, "Please fix the name on my baby’s airline ticket, Expedia | Miami Herald," 17 May 2018
But most Republicans opposed the effort, saying the regulations were potentially too onerous and Democrats were trying to use the issue for partisan gains in November.

— jim puzzanghera, latimes.com, "Senate takes first step to save net neutrality rules, voting to overturn FCC action," 16 May 2018
The whole process was delayed several times as industry groups registered their concerns that the requirements might be too onerous.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: Calorie counts at restaurants are aimed at trimming waistlines. But science suggests they don't necessarily work.," 4 May 2018
That would leave the largely white residents of rural areas, some of which are represented by the bill’s sponsors, exempt from the onerous new rule.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Michigan’s Proposed Medicaid Work Requirement Comes With a Racist Twist," 3 May 2018
Their existing wine clubs have been growing, and with two children at home, growing that business while running the bar seemed too onerous.

— esther mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Healdsburg’s best wine bar, Bergamot Alley, will close — but find a second life online," 8 Mar. 2018

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.

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").

Origin and Etymology of onerous

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

onerous Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

ONEROUS Defined for English Language Learners

onerous

adjective

Definition of onerous for English Language Learners

: difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with

ONEROUS Defined for Kids

onerous

adjective oner·ous \ ˈä-nə-rəs , ˈō- \

Definition of onerous for Students

: being difficult and unpleasant to do or to deal with

“… do you never find your duties onerous or irksome?”
—E. B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan

Law Dictionary

onerous

adjective oner·ous \ ˈä-nə-rəs, ˈō- \

legal Definition of onerous

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

Learn More about onerous

See words that rhyme with onerous Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for onerous Spanish Central: Translation of onerous Nglish: Translation of onerous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of onerous for Arabic speakers

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onerous

Definition of onerous

onerously

onerousness

onerous was our Word of the Day on 07/12/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of onerous in a Sentence

Recent Examples of onerous from the Web

What is the Difference Between onerous, burdensome, oppressive?

Origin and Etymology of onerous

onerous Synonyms

Synonyms

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Synonym Discussion of onerous

ONEROUS Defined for English Language Learners

onerous

Definition of onerous for English Language Learners

ONEROUS Defined for Kids

onerous

Definition of onerous for Students

Law Dictionary

onerous

legal Definition of onerous

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