onerous

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

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

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

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

Still, attending an exclusive school is hardly all onerous.

— laura pappano, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ivy degree – now what? Low-income grads struggle with careers, status," 30 Mar. 2018
Merely a few decades ago, student loan balances were small enough to be repaid easily, and generally speaking, under less onerous terms.

— sarah hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brag about this, Milwaukee: Metro ranked 3rd-best for millennials with student debt," 29 Mar. 2018
If the record keeping for the home office expenses is too onerous, there is a simplified method that allows a deduction of $5 per square foot (limited to 300 square feet).

— tom cooney and crystal faulkner, Cincinnati.com, "Tax tips for the self-employed," 22 Mar. 2018
When Pruitt took over, multiple automobile trade associations complained that the comment period had been rushed, and that the requirements were onerous.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Politics," 3 Apr. 2017
Under President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela has finally succumbed to an onerous debt load from the government and state-oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA.

— Bloomberg.com, "Venezuelan Candidate Would Seek Debt Restructuring, Adviser Says," 23 Mar. 2018
There are no onerous drop-off fees that normally make one-way rentals so pricey and often prohibitive.

— dawn gilbertson, azcentral, "One-way car-rental deals from Phoenix are back but you have to act fast," 21 Mar. 2018
Wells Fargo agreed in March 2017 to settle a class-action lawsuit filed in 2015 by plaintiffs who said bank workers trying to meet onerous sales goals had opened unauthorized accounts in their name.

— james rufus koren, latimes.com, "Wells Fargo customers could have more time to file claims in $142-million fake accounts settlement," 16 Mar. 2018
The lawsuit could result in discovery motions and Trump depositions revealing that more women were paid hush money and coerced into signing onerous nondisclosure agreements by Cohen.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Trump-Kim summit prospect rocky: Darcy cartoon," 13 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").