How to Use onerous in a Sentence
onerous
adjective- The government imposed onerous taxes on imports.
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The best cars come at a cost—and the official one tends to be the least onerous of the bunch.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2025
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The 50% rule might become onerous to brides, Egert said.
—Carline Jean, sun-sentinel.com, 25 Sep. 2020
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But red tape and funding make this an onerous journey when the idea was born in the 1990s.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2023
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These were paid for by the French themselves in onerous costs set by the armistice agreement.
—Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023
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The cost to repair it was onerous, and Hilton had no option but to junk it.
—Susan Orlean, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2022
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Of course, even with onerous terms, some still decide to go ahead.
—Jemima McEvoy, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023
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The researchers have to isolate the barks from all the other sounds that happen in the background of the videos, which makes the process onerous.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024
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The bride’s wedding dress search was a little more onerous.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2024
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After the tears dry, the new lovebirds are faced with the onerous task of getting to know each other.
—Megan C. Reynolds, Time, 27 June 2025
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The GSEs and housing lobby complain the rule is too onerous and will no doubt push the Biden team to weaken it.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2020
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If the logistics are too onerous, the event could take place in the Denver metro area instead.
—Eli Stokolsstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2022
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If the heat isn’t onerous enough, Monday will be humid, Lessor said.
—Christine Dempsey, courant.com, 24 Aug. 2020
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Either way, Swift must have thought the terms Borchetta sought were too onerous.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 July 2019
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But by the time of their default, 13 years later, their loan terms had improved and weren’t as onerous.
—oregonlive, 20 Dec. 2020
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Laundry lovers know how to get rid of the things that can make washing, folding, and putting clothes away seem onerous.
—Dan Diclerico, Good Housekeeping, 12 Aug. 2021
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The loans that China provides are often opaque and onerous.
—Shannon K. O’Neil, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
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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
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This was supposed to unleash the British from all the onerous obligations of the European Union.
—Peter Bergen, CNN, 20 Oct. 2022
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Even a $10 CVS gift card removes a small burden and can make that day, that errand, less onerous.
—Gwen Torsky, Health.com, 31 Oct. 2019
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Coinbase has given people a way to sidestep the big banks and their onerous fees.
—Charles Duhigg, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
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The prospect of over 850 miles of boring, back-and-forth driving suddenly seemed less onerous.
—Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 21 Oct. 2022
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Lee found the limitations on his right to work onerous.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 28 July 2022
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But, since the longest orbit is under 12 days, that's not so onerous.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 30 July 2019
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Cambridge decided the cost was too onerous and quit the pursuit.
—Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
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As for the onerous paperwork Hamilton refers to, there’s an appeal to cut through the red tape and get things moving.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
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Meanwhile, other than being able to dump the ornery DD Bailey and his onerous contract, the deal with the Dodgers has lost its sheen.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 4 June 2019
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The flaw was fixed with an over-the-air update, a recall fix that's less onerous for automakers and consumers.
—Matt McFarland, CNN, 14 July 2022
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News anchors on most every station were reporting that the onerous Berlin Wall, one of the last remaining bastions of the Cold War, was falling.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
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In some sections, MDE is criticized for not being available enough to support districts and for having an onerous grant process.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 24 July 2025
Some of 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.
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