1
as in tough
difficult to endure
had the onerous and stressful job of notifying the families of soldiers killed in action
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
building the scale model of the frigate was an onerous task
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of onerous
So, there's some very onerous squeeze tests and also the rather dramatic impact tests, which is quite a significant test.
—
Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Over one thousand positions require Senate confirmation, an often-onerous and lengthy process.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
But in an Economist profile on the Arizona expansion, TSMC CFO Wendell Huang said he was surprised by America’s onerous and lengthy permitting process compared to that of Taiwan.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
But that solution might prove onerous for physical game card players who want to avoid clogging up the limited 256GB of internal storage on the Switch 2 (and/or avoid investing in pricey MicroSD Express cards).
—Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onerous
Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Over one thousand positions require Senate confirmation, an often-onerous and lengthy process.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
But in an Economist profile on the Arizona expansion, TSMC CFO Wendell Huang said he was surprised by America’s onerous and lengthy permitting process compared to that of Taiwan.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
But that solution might prove onerous for physical game card players who want to avoid clogging up the limited 256GB of internal storage on the Switch 2 (and/or avoid investing in pricey MicroSD Express cards).
—Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onerous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onerous
Adjective
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The end result of a tough negotiation that included a nearly two-week blackout of Disney channels on Charter in 2023 was a much closer working relationship between the two.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Just a week after giving birth, Menish took her six-hour Evidence exam from home in December 2023 — one of the toughest finals in the curriculum.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, my nephew, who’s 7, is down for a more challenging build like the Star Wars Paz Vizsla and Moff Gideon Battle set, which is currently $23 off.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
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Taking the creative helm of Chanel as only the fourth artistic director to ever lead the house, Blazy has been entrusted with one of the biggest and most sought-after — although perhaps not the most challenging — jobs in fashion.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Never use bleach to clean the toilet tank as this harsh chemical can damage the tank's interior and lead to faster corrosion.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
11 Oct. 2025
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Except, much like the prison scenes, Kiss of the Spider Woman‘s reality ends up being much harsher than the fantasy.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Travel could be very difficult to impossible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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This Is My Story While Israel and Hamas have accepted the two-phase agreement, many of the more difficult issues have been left unresolved.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Amid the town’s oppressive atmosphere, Elma’s colleague Saevar could provide salvation.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
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In eastern Rajasthan’s poppy fields, an activist son and a farmer mother work to free themselves from oppressive circumstances.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The players are afforded down time, however, and this first week will be nowhere near as demanding as an in-season training week.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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This division of labor reportedly reduces one of the most physically demanding aspects of solar farm construction.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Cooked this way, the chicken will turn out juicy and tender, while the crust of the chicken is crisp from the searing process.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
11 Oct. 2025
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The searing layer of magma beneath the planet’s crust continuously releases heat through the decay of radioactive elements such as uranium (U) and potassium (K).—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Others have argued that while some constitutional provisions — like a burdensome governance structure and staggered elections — need amending, the cause of Haiti’s instability is not the document but the failure of politicians to enforce it.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
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At first glance, this practice may seem more burdensome than beneficial.—
Caelan McMichael,
Allure,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Onerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onerous. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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