Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective burdensome contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of burdensome are exacting, onerous, and oppressive. While all these words mean "imposing hardship," burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

Where would exacting be a reasonable alternative to burdensome?

The words exacting and burdensome are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

When can onerous be used instead of burdensome?

The words onerous and burdensome can be used in similar contexts, but onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

When could oppressive be used to replace burdensome?

While the synonyms oppressive and burdensome are close in meaning, oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

Examples of burdensome in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web Agencies often underestimate costs, undercount affected small businesses, and neglect less burdensome alternatives, sometimes finalizing more harmful regulations without proper justification. Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Musk and Newsom have clashed in the past, and Musk has been a vocal critic of California politicians after announcing that burdensome regulations and high taxes are forcing him to move his companies, X and SpaceX, out of California. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024 Though the worst of Richard’s allegations about Combs’s behavior were not depicted on Making the Band, the series did help lay the groundwork for many of the invasive, burdensome expectations of the modern music industry. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024 Also, with Pluto stationing retrograde shortly after, the underlying tension between your need for growth and adventure versus the more mundane, practical aspects of life could start to feel burdensome. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for burdensome 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burdensome
Adjective
  • The concrete there takes, to me, a much more miserable, oppressive tone.
    Owen Davies, Curbed, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Boyer is seven years his junior, and Sell struggles to return Boyer’s oppressive flat serve, winning only the first game of the second set.
    Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Finding Daryl should have been incredibly challenging!
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
  • Eating in space can be particularly challenging, but also entertaining.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • There are also more-than-adequate storage spaces in the large center console annd all four doors. CHANGE: The ride quality The ride quality is a little harsher in the Sorento than in some of its competitors, especially with the 20-inch wheels and lower profile tires the tester came equipped with.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Trump’s comments on Taiwan have been unusually harsh for China policy in Washington, where there is a general bipartisan consensus to be tough on Beijing and Xi, who has pledged to reunify with Taipei, by force if necessary.
    Brad Dress, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Leah Abbasi, one of his attorneys, spoke about the difficult upbringing Ryan had.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Finding an accessible live class in an unfamiliar city will be exceedingly difficult.
    Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The course reversal with the closure of the Los Angeles office followed a review of the Sister board that examined the tough market conditions that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, double Hollywood strikes and the ongoing industry contraction.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
  • The intrigue: In a sign of the tough work that delegates, nonprofit organizations and others have ahead of them in Cali and beyond, CTrees found that an average of 26,641 square miles of tropical forest are being degraded per year.
    Andrew Freedman, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Job stress, long work hours and poor diets are growing high-risk factors in the cities, while in rural areas, agriculture work is becoming less physically demanding and inadequate health care is leading to poor screening and treatment of weight problems, doctors and academics say.
    Reuters, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
  • Balancing motherhood with a demanding professional life requires time management and incredible emotional strength.
    Jack McCullough, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • This searing manual deconstructs the subgenre and the process that goes into contributing to it, bringing the study thereof into a whole new era of experimentation and boundary dissolution.
    Tyler Thier, JSTOR Daily, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Tarantula hawk wasp The tarantula hawk wasp's sting is often described as a searing electric shock that can incapacitate its victim temporarily.
    Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 25 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Critics say increasing insurers' control of the program would trap consumers in health plans that are costlier to taxpayers and that can restrict their care, including by imposing onerous prior authorization requirements for some procedures.
    Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
  • 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

Thesaurus Entries Near burdensome

Cite this Entry

“Burdensome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burdensome. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on burdensome

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!