Word of the Day

: February 24, 2009

onerous

adjective AH-nuh-rus

What It Means

1 : involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : troublesome

2 : having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages

onerous in Context

Christy considered driving her sister to ballet practice to be an onerous task.

Did You Know?

"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").