ONEROUS Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'onerous' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of onerous are burdensome , exacting , and oppressive . While all these words mean "imposing hardship," onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful. // the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

Q: In what contexts can 'burdensome' take the place of 'onerous'?

The synonyms burdensome and onerous are sometimes interchangeable, but burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain. // burdensome responsibilities

Q: Where would 'exacting' be a reasonable alternative to 'onerous'?

While the synonyms exacting and onerous are close in meaning, exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding. // an exacting employer

Q: When might 'oppressive' be a better fit than 'onerous'?

In some situations, the words oppressive and onerous are roughly equivalent. However, oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed. // the oppressive tyranny of a police state

onerous

adjective

ˈä-nə-rəs

Definition of onerous

as in tough

difficult to endure had the onerous and stressful job of notifying the families of soldiers killed in action

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in challenging

requiring much time, effort, or careful attention building the scale model of the frigate was an onerous task

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the adjective onerous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of onerous are burdensome, exacting, and oppressive. While all these words mean "imposing hardship," onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

In what contexts can burdensome take the place of onerous?

The synonyms burdensome and onerous are sometimes interchangeable, but burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

Where would exacting be a reasonable alternative to onerous?

While the synonyms exacting and onerous are close in meaning, exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

When might oppressive be a better fit than onerous?

In some situations, the words oppressive and onerous are roughly equivalent. However, oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of onerous The route to an Italian passport tends to be far more onerous for those descended from women than from men. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026 Since some users were reporting that the time taken for the new indexing was more than a week, as mentioned above, a light preparation now sounds much less onerous, or even noticeable. — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Even automakers who will be footing the bill were on board with the new law, which is less onerous for them than a similar law in the European Union. — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 13 July 2026 In 2022, a Humans of New York post revealed that Rinaldi sells his sperm directly to prospective parents who are seeking to avoid the onerous costs of sperm banks and fertility treatments. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for onerous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for onerous

Adjective

Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Eric Loucks, the director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown, pointed out that a person can have a challenging experience during meditation and still find their overall meditation practice to be beneficial.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
For something more hands-on, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville has a challenging kart circuit where karts can reach 50 mph or more.

— Chris Teague, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of challenging

Adjective

Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

In Atlanta, high temps are expected in the mid-90s on Friday, and the humidity will make the heat feel more oppressive.

— Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Such tools for combating oppressive heat look prescient now, but Stierli isn’t impressed; Tropical Modernism was sensitive to the region’s climate but not to its culture.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

That night, somewhere between a racist stranger, a free dessert, my girlfriend publicly shaming a man in a Mediterranean restaurant and our demanding cat, the City of Angels started to feel like home.

— Mayur Chauhan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
And the longer or more demanding the workout, the more important such fuel becomes.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of demanding

Adjective

The rolling mountain landscape becomes an undulating patchwork quilt of searing scarlets, terracottas, vermillions, and more.

— Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Once the film was released, critics widely praised Page’s searing performance as the doomed Greek soldier Sinon, and even some of Page’s detractors online were won over by his work.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of searing

Adjective

The sun in Virgo will clash with Saturn retrograde in an awkward alignment, making our practical, day-to-day responsibilities seem more burdensome than usual.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
However, lawmakers did pass several bills this year to help fire victims navigate burdensome insurance requirements in the aftermath of a disaster and increase prevention efforts.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of burdensome

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one-on-one

onerous

ones

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“Onerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onerous. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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