onerous

[ on-er-uhs, oh-ner- ]
See synonyms for onerous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship: onerous duties.

  2. having or involving obligations or responsibilities, especially legal ones, that outweigh the advantages: an onerous agreement.

Origin of onerous

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin onerōsus, equivalent to oner- (stem of onus) burden + -ōsus-ous

Other words for onerous

Other words from onerous

  • on·er·ous·ly, adverb
  • on·er·ous·ness, o·ne·ros·i·ty [oh-nuh-ros-i-tee], /ˌoʊ nəˈrɒs ɪ ti/, noun
  • non·on·er·ous, adjective
  • non·on·er·ous·ly, adverb
  • non·on·er·ous·ness, noun
  • un·on·er·ous, adjective
  • un·on·er·ous·ly, adverb
  • un·on·er·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby onerous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use onerous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for onerous

onerous

/ (ˈɒnərəs, ˈəʊ-) /


adjective
  1. laborious or oppressive

  2. law (of a contract, lease, etc) having or involving burdens or obligations that counterbalance or outweigh the advantages

Origin of onerous

1
C14: from Latin onerōsus burdensome, from onus load

Derived forms of onerous

  • onerously, adverb
  • onerousness, noun

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